Donker Samenleving
by CyanSparki
Summary: The Jurasian Conflict ended five years ago. Three years ago, the first Exile ended, having forced them north to the Kitherlands. One month ago, the second Exile commenced. Carried forward by the Guilds for the sake of peace, ignored by the majority, and enforced violently- the Exile damns the dunkelheit to the frozen wastes of the north. [Canceled]
1. Wit

_Chapter 1_

* * *

 _"Survival is about keeping calm, staying fed, killing the lesser beasts, and leading other monsters well. If one is ignored, then the others become pointless and death is sure to come."_

 _\- Anonymous_

* * *

 _Wit_

* * *

Crouching low and moving stealthily, like a band of predator stalking prey, a small group of sneasel skulked through dense underbrush. Their leader, armed with a rifle that for now served only to help part the bushes choking this one and many others of Ainapia's forests, surveyed the way ahead with a sniff of the air and a glance at whatever his dark-adapted vision could reveal in this black-as-pitch night. He gestured with one extended claw and whispered, "Move, move."

Pushing through the brush and into a small clearing, he listened to his follower's faint footsteps. They were slowly falling behind his quicker pace and needed encouragement.

"Hurry yourselves, we're almost gotten away from them. A few kilometres more, that's it."

A distant voice, but was one that the leader recognized personally, called from the rear of the pack.

"I… I can't go on… I'm tired, Daddy..." whimpering and breathless, the tiniest sneasel in the group leaned against a tree. The march stopped as their leader fell back to her.

"I know you're tired, we all are dear. But we have to hurry, because…" he paused, letting his daughter remember what he's told her.

"The beast's will catch us."

"Hmph... _'B_ _east's'_ …? Ain't that telling it well." interjected one of the followers. "Merciless and uncivilized- they aren't monsters like us, that's for sure."

A second one nervously chuckled while adding, "Murderers of the innocent. And they say we're the problem."

"Innocent dark-monsters." the first clarified.

The second shook his head and snorted. "No such thing apparently when plenty of people think we should be born with a bounty on our heads- as it is, better than heads on pikes. "

The leader sighed before he shushed them. He wished in vain that his girl was young enough not to understand that someone would kill her for a stipend. He kissed her on the top of her head. "Let's go. We can stop and rest soon." She asked, again, about her mother. Again, he asserted that, "She'll be back." He signaled his followers to press on. One nodded and assumed command, whispering, "Don't die, Niklas," before walking to the front of the line.

The leader watched the rest of the pack move on without him as he embraced his daughter.

"Let me help you up. I'll carry you for a bit, then you walk again." he offered to the tiny sneasel. She smiled and giggled with glee, filling Niklas with temporary reprieve from the grievous situation.

"Like a pelipper?" she asked.

Niklas chuckled as he repeated her words, "Like a pelipper."

His daughter held out her right arm and he pulled her up with a tug. Once on her feet she raised her arms up for her father, showering him with a begging look. Niklas bent down and sat her on his shoulders, making sure his rifle would not poke into her.

"Let's go catch some feebas, Daddy." Huffing as he carried his daughter, Niklas worked his way towards the group.

After almost hundred metres, he let his daughter down, who protested with, "But we didn't catch feebas, Daddy."

Niklas had to catch his breath before saying, "Pelipper is tired. He's very sorry." His daughter wisely held back her protests at the statement.

As he and his daughter, who fell in behind him, walked, he paid close attention to finding the scent of his group and tuned his ears in to hear noises that do not fit the forest, their voices particularly. Every so often, he paused to make sure his daughter was not falling behind and, if she was, hoisted her up to his shoulders and carried her for a short distance.

It was a slow twenty minutes but Niklas finally caught up with the group once more, relived to find them unharmed as were they with him and his daughter. He and his daughter arrived in the middle of a 'soft-spoken' conversation between his replacement and another follower. He quickly cupped his claws around his daughter's ears when he realized the conversation's topic was exactly what he wished for his daughter to stop hearing.

"…tell that to the two policemen I knew. Saw a whole town came to kill'em, like it was some sort of festival. Had me shaking in my fur, as I watched from inside a barrel of water." the temporary leader recounted to the second sneasel.

"The whole town? There must've been at least one or two…" the second one paused in hope that the temporary leader would say otherwise but instead he shook his head.

"I watched them _all_ stand there as they skin'em alive. Served the town for _seven years_ and they turned on'em. Only knew the absol well…"

The second sneasel tried to stop his temporary leader for his sake, "No Luuk, you don't have to-" Luuk held up a gloved hand and shot him a look of pleading.

"He… was an excellent officer- hell, saved a whole family from bandits raiding their farm... Townsfolk…" he swallowed the urge to cry, fighting back the tears. "Kill'em anyways. Skinned 'em… and then…" The temporary leader fought back a few sobs and held in his chest to keep himself in check. "They burn 'is kids. Made the wife watch… then they… they..."

The temporary stopped talking before his emotions could break any farther, the tale too much to handle. A female follower gasped in horror while another member put a hand to his mouth, holding back the bile rising in his mouth.

"I think that's enough talking about how horrible this is for all of us." suggested Niklas as he moved over to the temporary leader, putting his claws on his replacement's shoulder.

The temporary leader let out a shaky breath and loosened his stance. Niklas shook his head and whispered, "I'm sorry for your brother-in-law, Luuk." The other sneasel said nothing but a morose expression and tears running down his cheeks told Niklas enough.

Niklas leaned in closer, "And your sister as well… I'm sorry we couldn't make it in time…"

"It's fine Niklas," Luuk sighed, letting out a quiet sob, "You... you can lead." Luuk told him, trying to wipe all the tears from his face, doing so unsuccessfully.

Niklas didn't give an answer by the time the crying sneasel walked away saying, "I've had my fun."

Luuk walked past the second sneasel, shooting him a glare ruined by tears and eyes redder than usual for a sneasel. He gave him an angry sniff and tensed. "I prove you wrong, _Damien_? Or do you need more proof people hate us dark-type, idealist sh-"

" _ **Luuk**_." Niklas stressed his yell, forcing a wince from his follower. Luuk turned to see Niklas pointing at his daughter standing behind him, clinging to his jacket- eyes focused on him and only him.

Luuk let out a short breath and gave Damien one last look before trudging away to lean on a nearby tree at the back of the pack to sort out his emotions.

Niklas scolded Damien, telling the sneasel to put his opinions aside and that if he gets into an argument, as with Luuk, one more time, he will leave the idealist behind- same for Luuk.

The young adult silently nodded and wisely fell back in line.

Niklas lead the group for the next few kilometres as he did before, scouting ahead and clearing a path just big enough before getting his followers to move up. Trial and error had lead up to his current style, having lost many along the lengthy journey north.

During one of his pushes forward, he paused and pulled his pocket-watch out, curious about something. "3:28" read the hands on the well-crafted watch and the tar-blackness of night ruled out this being the afternoon.

He knew that, while time was of the essence, that continuing through the forest in the dark, no matter how close to Lunen they were, was going to become a liability as it drew on. An exhausted pack of sneasel would be easy pay for a band of freshly prepared and awoken mercenaries lying in wait for any fresh heads to cleave- pay only came if one had proof after all. A head was the easiest to stuff in a bag, though it didn't mean it was all they took.

Niklas waited for all his followers to meet back up as usual before telling them, "We're stopping." His new goal of finding a place to rest was now priority and, by ten minutes of searching with Damien, allowed them to find a secluded cave bounded by a shallow pond. While wading through it was a complaint they all held, even Niklas in his mind, it was one that meant nothing if not because it afforded extra protection from mercenary, or bandit, element.

"I'll stand guard first, two hours. I'll wake you Damien," the sneasel in question huffed at the thought of such short sleep. "You will stand for two," Niklas turned and pointed at Luuk. "Then you Luuk. Two as well." Niklas then turned to one of his female follower's, a brown furred sneasel with a blue feather wearing a dark grey jacket, one that looked home on a professional soldier. "Grijs. You will stand for the final two hours. It will be nine in the morning when we finish and that we give us time to scavenge for food before moving forward."

Grijs mumbled under her breath, "I did it last every time before. Why again now?" Niklas chose not to answer her question, only shushing her. She continued to silently complain, causing the man to snap at her once he lost his patient with her lack of patience.

"Grijs, you know how to handle a rifle- and pretty well I may add. Raisa," at the sound of her name, the other female sneasel in question flinched. "does not- not well at least. Obviously, Lýdie, Artur, and Livie don't at all."

The sneasel in question, were identical in colour, a dark blue-green, height and all manner of physique and cloths, all wearing a grey shirt, looked over to Niklas. He shot the triplets an angry expression that made them look away and hold each other.

"Nor your daughter I may add." Grijs shot back with a sneer. Niklas narrowed his eyes at her and barely held himself from slapping the young woman for being cheeky at such a time.

Niklas turned his attention back to his insubordinate follower. At this point, Damien, Luuk and Raisa have all backed away from the pair.

Niklas pulled his rifle off his back and held it out with both hands and told her, "Then perhaps, Grijs, you should to teach them. I offered this every other time but you have refused each time."

Grijs gritted her teeth and when she opened her mouth, she spat at the ground and snorted. "My skill is in shooting afar, not within spitting distance. Besides, those three," she pointed to the three huddled farther down the cave. "Can barely hold a rifle of such caliber. Your daughter is much the same. Your little Kristina can barely bring herself to scratch paint, and she is a sneasel! I have no expectance that she can-"

A loud slap hushed whatever other talking may have been going on and turned the attention of every sneasel in the cave to the two standing near the entrance. Grijs held her cheek in pain, feeling a sting as she felt welts in her fur letting out blood.

"What…" she said, stopping as Niklas hissed at her.

She gave Niklas a wide-eyed look as he said, "Leave my daughter out of anything that comes out of your mouth, Grijs. I've spared injuring you worse up to this point for being snide." he pointed to her cheek. It stung but no blood came out from the shallow welt. "But one more comment and I'll have no problem breaking a few fangs or cutting your feathers. Am I clear?"

Grijs narrowed her eyes and drew in a sharp breath, ready to argue, but a look at each of the faces gathered within the cave and the sorrow within each one's eyes gave her the reason to back down, as always, and ended up easing out a long sigh.

"Yes, I understand sir."

Taking a short step back, she fell against the wall of the cave and slide down to a seated position. She held her knees close to her head and pulled up the hood of her jacket, covering over her head. It was silent for only a moment when she said, "I'm resting then. Leave me be." in a fierce tone.

No one argued with her.

Silently, one by one, the group fell asleep on the uncomfortable rock floor, while Niklas stood watch. He committed himself to scanning the dark woods outside for any trouble and, ignoring the snoring sneasel nearby, listened in for anything that could be sneaking up, outside the view of the entrance. Occasionally, he glanced at his daughter and could only think back to the situation at hand and how completely screwed up it was for a girl her age.

On the tenth minute of the second hour, he heard scuffling from within the cave. Niklas turned to see his daughter rubbing her eyes as she walked up to him. She sat down next to his legs and laid her head against them, mewling a, cute to Niklas, yawn once there.

His fatherly instinct was strong and won out, letting her stay despite knowing that she was, and would be, a liability if someone did attack.

Three minutes later, Kristina stirred again, pawing at his pants. Niklas looked down to see the small ruby eyes of his daughter staring back at him, tears in her eyes. He sighed, asking, "What's wrong dear?"

The child sniffled and wiped at her nose before pulling herself closer to her father's leg. "I miss Livie… and Greg… and-and… Katie…" she whispered to her father. Niklas could only reach down and pat her on the head, stroking it a few times as well, to comfort her.

Once more, she asked about her mother, and Niklas replied as always, "She'll be back…" He paused and looked up at the ceiling, the words stinging him more than ever. He shook the feeling away and continued.

" _She doesn't know. She doesn't need to."_ Niklas said to himself, within his mind. He looked down to his daughter, his Kristina, and could only be reminded by his wife, his mate, his _love_. And all that did for the leader of the small pack of escapee sneasel, was remind him of what she did for him, for the pack, for _Kristina_.

"Yes… your mother will be back Kristina… She'll… she'll sing you your favourite lullaby once she does. I promise." His whisper put an unseen smile on the child's face and she rubbed the rest of her tears away. She giggled quietly and asked, "Will she play peliper as well when she's back?"

"Yes, she definitely will when she's back." Niklas responded, firm as he could.

Kristina could not see the pain in his eyes when he said that for the umpteenth time.

* * *

 _End Chapter 1_

* * *

 _Please take your time to leave a critique. I encourage it._

 _Näeme hiljem._

 _\- Cyansparki_


	2. Eten

_Chapter 2_

* * *

 _"Food is limited. Ammo is limited. Soldiers are limited. Communication is limited. Yet we fight on. We can't let the night-walkers from Lunstedt win- not an inch of this land is theirs for the taking and I'll see it through, even if I have to gut every single one of them."_

 _\- anonymous Bramenburg officer during the Conflict of the Duchies_

* * *

 _Eten_

* * *

Morning brought new light to the forest. Stalking within shadows of the trees, silently as possible, two sneasel got in position on opposite sides of a clearing. In the centre lay a sleeping breloom, unaware of the danger lurking in the shade of the trees. Every so often, it stirred but never woke.

They planned so that it wouldn't wake ever again.

Niklas brought his sights of his rifle level with the breloom's head. His index claw carefully wrapped the trigger but he didn't pull, he knew better than to make a sound that could attract unwanted attention. He was there to make sure Grijs got the kill without being killed in the same go.

The young female prepared to run forward with a bulky shard of ice in hand, waiting for her chance to strike. Making sure there was some noise in the morning backdrop to cover the yell of death. The screams of pain that would surely coming from stabbing the mindless beast in front of her.

Grijs took one step back and, when she felt it was time, dashed forward into the clearing, made a short jump and jab the shard into the breloom's neck. It immediately woke up and started punching the air helplessly with one hand while the other desperately clawed at its neck.

Its yells were drowned out by quiet coughs filled with blood, dribbling out of its mouth, as well as the gash in its neck, hampering everything it tried to do to survive. To Niklas, it had been ages when the breloom finally passed out and expired from blood loss, but it had only been forty seconds after the shard had been plunged into its neck.

"It got blood on my coat." Grijs groaned as she wiped the blood off as best she could, groaning loudly when it did little to help beside spread the blood around. She sighed and looked down at the corpse, "This enough for us all? I'm not scouting out for more."

Niklas gave the dead grass-type a look over. He mentally scanned over its body, processing if its meat could feed his whole group. He nodded, "Its enough. The triplets and Kristina need the most. Us adults can spare an ounce of meat for them."

Grijs lightly tapped the body with her foot and chuckled, "Long as you cook the poison out of the meat first."

Niklas grunted recognition at her words as he bent down to pull up the corpse by its head. "Let's hurry." he pointed to the legs. "Grab his legs."

Reluctantly, Grijs grabbed the body by the legs and, on Niklas' signal, lifted it with a grunt. They quickly spun the body around so that it was lying on its back, spread the limbs, and marked where to cut with their claws. Niklas pulled out a knife from one of his coat pockets and held it out. "Want to cut it or shall I?"

"You. I have enough blood on me." answered Grijs.

She backed away, shaking her head, and moved into the shade of the trees to stay hidden in case something decided to reveal itself and attack. Niklas paid her no mind, he knew she could take care of herself, even if she were disobedient and impatient time to time.

He began to cut into the body with the knive, careful not to go too far from the marked line. Grijs stood against one of the trees and stared on quietly, content, when she took one whiff of the air. Hit by curiosity, she snuck further into the forest, into the dark void created by the thicket of trees.

In a matter of minutes, Niklas had roughly cut up the body into smaller portions. He took off the scarf on his neck, about to put it all away when he paused, feeling as if something were off. He stood up and waved Grijs over but seconds ticked by and the brown sneasel did not walk out from the shade, worrying him.

Niklas thought about looking for her while the scent of the female was still strong but the thought of going far from where the rest of the group was, being already quite the distance, weighed heavy on the leader's mind. He knew she wasn't stupid enough to go far alone- it would be certain death, especially when it came to facing those… monsters chasing them.

At least, he hoped she wasn't that senseless.

He scanned the woods around him for a few minutes more, looking as far into the shade his dark-adapted vision allowed, waiting for her to saunter out of the trees and act as if this were some cruel joke, only for nothing to happen but the wind rustling the leaves every so often.

He gave a sigh of defeat but instead of relaxing, he tensed up. "Grijs… you fool…"

Niklas made a quick decision to follow her scent, keeping low to the shadows and moving stealthy, in hopes of catching his follower before she got into serious trouble. He had only made it five hundred meters when he heard a gunshot go off, paired with a scream of agony only a moment later. A distinctly _female_ one.

"Fuck… Grijs! _"_ he told himself as he ran in the direction of the scream. He checked his rifle, pulling back the bolt to make sure he had chambered a bullet, satisfied that there was.

It wasn't long before he made to a clearing, holding his breath in at the sight within.

He could see Grijs on the ground, holding her leg in pain as a buizel in leather armor and armed with a similar rifle, speaking to her. Creeping slowly closer, Niklas could start to hear what was being said, "I won' ask again. You night-walker always travel in packs."

Grijs winced in pain when she moved her leg slightly, trying to move away from the buizel, "I'm… not telling you…"

The buizel snorted at her words. He brought his foot down her on her right knee, which Niklas could see had a bullet hole just below it.

"Feel like telling me now?" he asked as he continued to grind on her knee.

Grijs only answered with screams of pain, her leg feeling as though it was set on fire, as the buizel grinded the heel of his foot on her injured knee and bullet wound.

"I could stand here all day and do this, you damn cat… but I'm sure we both know you _don't_. That bullet in your knee and broken bones are going to kill you eventually," he pushed the rifle forward, the muzzle brake tapping the gem on the sneasel's forehead, "and if not that, then will I."

Niklas was both relieved and horrified; relieved that there was only one mercenary, but horrified at what he was doing with his charge. He gently laid prone and lined up the sight of his rifle to the buizel's head.

"Fuck… _Aaaa_ … you…" Grijs told the buizel, crying in pain every so often.

The buizel chuckled before pulling the rifle away from her face and aiming at her other, untouched knee.

"If you want to play games with me, then I shall with you. Let me make sure you're not leaving anytime soon. Then I'll definitely have loads of fun… hadn't had some since that hoer in Maarn."

Grijs shut her eyes and tensed up, anticipating the pain to come. When a rifle went off, she cringed but didn't feel a sting of pain. She opened her eyes to see the buizel had a hole in his head, his eyes and expression blank.

A garbled "...grk" was all that came out from the buizel before he crumpled to the ground next to her, the rifle clattering alongside her leg, leaving the cat confused but thankful.

Niklas stepped into the clearing, rifle pointed up and against his shoulder. "You must listen to every word I say, no exceptions. That was one of the two rules I enforced this entire trip."

"Niklas…" the female called, a pained expression in her face as she tried to get up, only to fall back down when she tried to foolishly bend her knee and lift her leg at the same time.

He ignored her call. "What is the other rule Grijs?"

Grijs shut her eyes, a few tears coming out as she did. "Don't go… _aaa_ … off alone, no matter… _aahh_ … what..." her groans were easing into whimpers with every word she spoke. Despite the pain, she tried to stand once more. Niklas quickly stopped her.

"Don't stand. You're not walking on that leg any time soon, that is for sure." said Niklas, pointing at her right leg. Grijs grimaced as she glanced at the wound, the first time she could without the panic of before.

Niklas pulled off the scarf from his neck, "Hold still, let me dress it. It'll have to do for now."

As he dressed the wound, he observed that the bullet had hit just below her knee, leaving only a small hole but the damage underneath was much worse than a superficial wound from what she felt. He guessed that both the bone in her lower leg and knee were likely to be cracked, if not completely shattered and had to be seen to soon.

"It hurts so much… _AAAAaahhh_ … I'm sorry for leaving Niklas… I'm an _Aahh_ -idiot…" she said, holding her tears back. She eyed the rifle of the expired buizel. "At least we gained another rifle, ammo, and some armor from all this."

Niklas let out a nervous chuckle at her attempt to stay calm. He knelt beside her, "You're still alive, even if you're stubborn and impatient." He finished tying the knot of the makeshift bandage, tugging at it a few times to check if its tight, making Grijs squeal.

Niklas quickly stopped and pulled his hand away, "Sorry Grijs, I had to check."

"It's fine… _aaa_ … sir." she said as he sat down beside her, letting her relax for a moment.

The leader glanced at the body then back to his charge, "Can I ask why you ran off without telling _me_?"

Grijs cast her eyes down so as to not stare at Niklas' eyes, filled with shamed "Do… _aaah_ … you want… _aaAAaahh_ … to know? Can't we… _ah…_ just go?"

Niklas put one claw to her chin and pulled her head up to put her eyes back in line with his.

"If you don't then I making you hobble back instead of carrying you." he said seriously.

"You drive a… _aa_... hard bargain, _sir_." said Grijs, each word coming out weakly. She took a deep breath to calm herself. "To be… _aAaHa_ … honest, I ran off because I had smelt gunpowder and blood… and… _aaaAAAAHHaahhggha_ …"

The pain in her leg had rebounded and doubled as the adrenaline finally waned from her system, making it hard for her to continue speaking. She clutched her leg and continued to cry out in pain, whimpering when she wasn't shrieking.

Niklas pulled out a handkerchief from his pocket and tied it around her mouth, muffling her screams enough so that it won't attract attention. He held her to keep her calm and once her screams faded back into whimpers, he let go.

"Please scream into that, we don't want more haarling to show up." Picking up the buizel's rifle and pocketing the ammo, Niklas gave both to his follower to hold onto as he checked on the leather armor, which comprised of a jack and greaves, "Never wore armour before…"

"Wish I had… _GGaaaAAaah_ …" moaned Grijs as she rubbed her leg helplessly.

Niklas stared at the armour worn by the buizel. He knew the jack was much sturdier than the plain grey jacket he was wearing, had more pockets to hold items and bullets, and had a holster for a pistol if he ever got his hands on one, as well as two ring holders for either daggers or short swords. The greaves, on the other hand, while protecting his legs, would not help- sneasel destined to be agile fighters; purposely throwing that trait away would get him killed.

"The top piece might… _aa_ … fit you." Grijs said through clenched teeth, still clutching her leg with one hand. She was working to get the strap of the other rifle around her body so that it stayed with her. "He's as big… _aAAA_ … as you."

"I think I'll take it then. Sorry for this," he looked down at the corpse, which from the listless unfocused eyes and slightly open mouth made him look fairly at peace. Niklas put his hands together and closed his eyes, saying a short prayer under his breath. He may have been a killer but even they deserve some prayer for their next life.

Once done, he closed the buizel's eyes and started to undress the torso armor from him, trying to push away the thought how depraving it was to desecrate the dead. Once it was once, he made sure to inspect it further, cleaning it as best he could all the while, before equipping the jack.

"Please hurry…" sobbed Grijs, unable to take the pain for much longer. Niklas gave her a quiet nod as he put his jacket back on.

"Hold on Grijs." He put his arms underneath her back, making sure not to pierce it with his claws, and lifted her up. She yelped when she felt weightless and louder when her leg moved slightly.

"It'll be a bumpy ride back to that breloom. Try to keep your voice to a minimum and relax; the more you tense up, the more painful every jostle will be."

"Yes captain…" she squeaked as Niklas started to walk.

Every so often, more haphazard movement supplants his careful footing, jostling her enough to make her whimper. It took a long thirty minutes for them to arrive back at the clearing the dead breloom had been left in and another five to gather suitable meat to be brought back to the rest of the group.

Niklas finished bagging up the meat and handed it to her as she laid against a tree. "Think they're worried?" It's been an hour."

Grijs shook her head, and answered through clenched teeth. "Shouldn't be. An hour is normal."

Once at the shallow pond, it was a careful trudge, muddy step to step in the muddy water, to the entrance of the cave, one that took another five minutes and with many yelps of pain from Grijs. "Almost there." he chided every so often in an attempt to keep her calm.

By the time Niklas entered the cave with Grijs in his arms, everyone inside was awake and quietly chatting in large group.

Luuk was standing at the entrance, eyes closed. His leader could hear him lightly snoring and scoffed at the sight, mentally counting his torchic that no one came by.

Damien was poking at a fire he most likely started when he noticed Niklas walk in with Grijs in his arms, "You two are back! What'd you catch?"

"A bullet to my leg." deadpanned Grijs. Damien gave her a confused look, as did the rest of them, when he spotted the scarf around her leg.

"Let me explain." Niklas told them. The expressions gradually shifted to shock when Niklas revealed what had transpired an hour ago, as well as how he had gained another rifle and the jack underneath his coat. Niklas handed her over to Raisa, who offered to clean her wound, and started to cook their breakfast with Damien's help.

"You're lucky to be alive," Raisa told Grijs as she washed her wound, making sure not to move her leg too much, "though I will say, you're now more a liability right now then Kristina is. Funny, isn't it?"

"Real funny…" she snarled at her only to yelp in pain when she moved her leg slightly.

Luuk sighed and advised the hurt female, "Don't say… another word."

"Fine, fine…" reassured Grijs.

Raisa finished washing up the wound and retied the scarf around it. "We're going to need a splint at the very least, me, Luuk, and Niklas can't carry you all the time."

"Lunen. We'll get someone to do it in Lunen." said Niklas as he cooked the meat on the fire with Damien.

"I think now would be better. Just need to get a branch and carve it." suggested Raisa as she washed her claws. "Once in Lunen, she can get a proper cast."

Livie, one of the triplets, spoke up, "Won't any doctor in Lunen be busy with everyone passing through?"

Niklas checked the meat, giving a satisfied nod at what he saw before handing another stick with meat at the end to Damien. He got up and started walking over to her, handing her the meat, "Then we'll find a dark one. As long as Grijs gets the attention she needs, then we'll be good to continue."

He heard some scuffling from the rear of the cave, past the fire, then someone spoke. He recognized it as Kristina, making pause in his step.

"How far are we going to go daddy?" she asked, walking up with Artur in hand, "Are we going to see stars where we go?"

"Uh well…" Niklas paused, unsure whether to answer truthfully or not. One look in her eyes and let out a breath of defeat. "Yes dear, there'll be stars."

Kristina squealed in delight, "See Artur! Daddy said there would be!"

Artur giggled, changing into a half-hearted humming. He stopped for a moment to say, "I guess." before continuing his humming, carving a branch in the meanwhile. Kristina shrugged and walked over to Livie.

Niklas stood for moment to gather his thoughts. He hadn't thought about how far they were going to go to avoid the monsters chasing them or where they might settle in the end. He never really thought ahead that far, running was the biggest concern by far and outweighed staying in one place long enough to make a plan.

"I need to make plans…" he muttered to himself. He didn't notice Luuk walked up to him and jumped when the fellow sneasel put his claws on his shoulder.

"You alright Niklas?" he asked.

Niklas let out a long sigh, "No… I've just realized that all we've been doing is running. I haven't thought about what happens once we're past Lunen."

"Well…" Luuk took his claw off of Niklas and put it to his chin in thought, "I assumed that we'll just set up a permanent camp somewhere up there for some time," he paused and hummed softly to himself, "then maybe build a nice cozy lodge. Wouldn't be hard, the Estarian Peninsula is filled with trees waiting to be chopped down."

"And where do you suppose we find the tools? Or the nails? Or the furniture?" asked a skeptical Raisa as she ate a piece of meat that Damien handed to her.

"We'll find a way," Luuk paused and had an epiphany, "If we can't buy these things, then we'll make them ourselves. All of it."

Raisa narrowed her eyes at him, "Are you suggesting we manufacture _everything_ we would need? Are you crazy?" Luuk nodded, "A tiny group like us would never be able to do it."

"Raisa, keep in mind that we're one group of _thousands_ rushing northeast. We'll all group together in the end I suppose." reminded Niklas.

The female sneasel in question scoffed at the notion, taking a large bite of her remaining meat, leaving little behind. Despite her mouth being full, she still spoke, thought muffled, "And how many will actually make it?"

Niklas looked out the entrance of the cave, contemplating how the trip has been so far. He hummed for a moment, tuning out all the soft noises within the cave, focusing solely on the events so far that have happened on the trip. Some made him frown while others made him smile, a few though, stung him hard- reminded of how many were lost on the way.

"I… don't know." he finally responded. He rounded on her, "I honestly don't know. But have faith that many will. Maybe they'll do better than I have."

Raisa and Luuk looked at each for only a moment, skeptical looks exchanged for approval.

"But Niklas… you're someone with _military training_ and we still lost a few on the way." recounted Raisa, "You knew what to do in most confrontations and aren't strong-headed."

"Yeah compared to her." Luuk added, nodding to Grijs. A splash of water on him was all that he got back from the stubborn sneasel.

Raisa eyed the rifle on Niklas' back and the one sitting beside Grijs, who was now being fed by Lýdie, trying something else to cheer her leader up with.

"We're also armed thanks to you."

"And that hasn't helped us one bit so far. It's been useful for pushing branches out of the way and no more." Niklas pulled out the knife that cut up the breloom, "This knife has done more for us than the rifle on my back. I've only fired it three times, once to save someone."

Grijs gave him a look of distaste at the reminder of the events the past hour, however, he ignored it and continued to speak,

"The other two times, I did it for mercy."

His words rang with all the adults within the cave, all of them slowly looking away from their leader. Luuk was the first to speak to him after a minute of disenchanting silence, which was supported by the fire and low whispers of the triplet and Kristina.

"It's…" Luuk swallowed and looked away. "alright, that rifle hasn't been useful in keeping them at bay." he looked back at Niklas and might his eyes, seeing the sorrow within, "You did what you needed to do though, I can't argue with that."

"I know." Niklas simply replied.

Grijs either failed to read the mood, did read the mood and felt a need of a topic shift, or was finally settling on being her strong-headed self once more, and spoke when she needn't to.

"To think, that rifle hasn't been anything close to helping in a fight. We use our attacks way more than these damn things." a single gesture to the rifle next to her emphasized the point, "I've killed more with ice than bullets."

"Then why'd you take that rifle along for the ride?" a curious Luuk asked, "We never did before- we only took the ammo."

"And whatever food and money they had." added Damien. Luuk shot him a look that told him to be quiet.

Grijs contemplated for a moment before shrugging. "I guess I thought we needed another." she quickly hit upon an important point, "I mean, once we're past Lunen, there's no going back for more, so..."

"Right, and so you took the rifle from the huurling that shot you." Raisa scanned Niklas' stolen jack and shook her head, "And his armor as well."

"He wasn't using it." the disabled sneasel answered for her leader.

"Whatever the case, the ri _fles_ hadn't helped too much," Luuk said before the topic veered too far from the original one, "The point is that Niklas has lead us thus far as best he could and it wasn't enough."

"Or maybe we're unlucky, ever think of that?" shot Damien. Another look from the older sneasel around him made him look to the fire in front of him once more.

"Yes, maybe…" Luuk eyed Grijs for a moment before walking up to Niklas, "Listen Niklas, we have the best make-up of a group possible, barring the now broken Grijs. What do you think will happen to bands of regular people trying to run, especially when confronted with huurling?"

Niklas didn't answer him, so Luuk did so for him.

"They don't survive." he told the leader, his barely a whisper. "Not without losing so much more."

At this point, Raisa, Damien and Grijs knew the conversation was getting personal and left it behind, choosing to talk quietly amongst each other.

"You seem to think I don't know that. But what can we do?" Niklas prodded a claw into Luuk's chest, "Stop having hope things can get slightly better? That things will only get worse and worse?"

Luuk looked down at his leader- his _friend's_ claw for a long moment. He stood there in silence before lightly grasping it and pushing it away from his chest.

"I'm trying to say, be realistic, Niklas. Keeping up false hope does no good. One day, you're going to break down trying to keep up yourself in such a way." he told his friend.

Niklas considered Luuk's words, nodding once and looking away after he was done.

"I know… I'm just trying to be strong for her," his eyes cast over to the tiniest sneasel in the cave, laughing along with Livie and Lýdie as they watched Artur do a handstand, "for now, I'm all she has. I don't want her to lose her spirit, her innocence."

Luuk stood silent for a moment, he peered back to where Niklas was looking before looking at the others, Damien and Raisa talking to each other and Grijs smoldering to herself after Damien insulted her injury. He put his claw on his friend's shoulder.

"I promised to protect it too. Don't forget that." reminded Luuk. He took his hand off Niklas and walked over to the entrance. Niklas turned and gave him a smile, confirming to Luuk that he was okay.

"Now, how about we hurry along. Lunen is close by now, maybe a dozen kilometres left? Let's try and get there before dusk." ordered Luuk.

Niklas chuckled. "Who made you leader?"

"Nobody." replied Luuk, a loose smile on his face. "But I feel like leading today."

Niklas could only roll his eyes at the notion.

"Just don't die, Luuk." he told his friend, walking away to where his daughter was sitting, stating to him, "I'll scout on ahead in few minutes, let me rest for now."

Luuk watched him sit down beside her and talk to her, along with the triplets.

Luuk started to whistle a tune to himself as he looked out of the cave, memories of better days playing within his mind. He sighed at the sight of a few clouds passing overhead and took in a breath of forest air.

"Sofie… you're missing all this." he whispered to himself.

A slight breeze flitted through the trees moments later.

* * *

 _End Chapter 2_

* * *

 _Please leave a review. Critiques are welcome and recommended._

 _Dank je._

 _\- cyanspark_

* * *

 _-Lingustic Library-_

 _ **Kitch -** language of the Kitherlands_

 _ **huurling** \- mercenary_


	3. Poeder

_Chapter 3_

* * *

 _"...and if they refuse, then we guilds will do so with utmost speed to remove them, with or without force. This is to enforce peace in the troubled lands of the Ruarktsch. The Conflict has taught us that while we may move forward as a society with our increasing innovation, we all still have the same instincts as those in the wilderness. Especially those who are deigned as darkness itself."_

 _\- excerpt from interview with the leader of Guild of Verulia_

* * *

 _Poeder_

* * *

Before Niklas left to scout ahead, he had made it priority to get Grijs walking, even at a slow pace, at any cost. Raisa reminded the group that all she needed was a splint, some cloth to tie it to her leg, and berries to ease the pain.

Luuk and Damien had found several branches in the surrounding forest that were long enough to suffice as a splint, with Grijs herself eventually carving one into the needed device.

Raisa knelt beside Grijs, tying the splint as best she could to her right leg, making sure to be as painless as possible. "You're very lucky we found a bush with oran berries. I can say that it's a month of healing with a berry a day, three without till this leg heals."

"Not to bad..." Grijs muttered, folding her arms together.

" _As_ long as you take at least a single oran berry a day." reiterated Raisa. "I should add that, if any of us happen to find some lum or sitrus berries and you eat some of them, then it'll heal even faster. Maybe within two weeks, you can limp." the medically talented sneasel told Grijs.

"Great…" was all she said back.

Raisa wasn't finished with the younger sneasel just yet. "Just remember this Grijs, I'll have to take the bullet out in the near future, so don't think you're clear just yet, you troublesome little girl."

Grijs just scoffed while Raisa finished the last knot and stood up. She gave Grijs a hand, to which she looked at with confusion.

"Let's see if you can stand, but take your time- go too fast and you won't be able to hobble at all for a _long_ time."

The grey clad sneasel could only wince as she roughly tried to stand with Raisa's hand slowly lifting her up. Once on her feet, she carefully shifted her weight to her left foot, on Raisa's recommendation, and leaned against the wall.

"Right, let's see if the lass can take a few steps." suggested Luuk.

Raisa shot him a dirty look, one that told him to shut his mouth or find it sewn shut. She turned back to Grijs, who could only look on impatiently.

"As he said, take a few steps. This splint should hold over until either I get material to make an actual cast or we see a doctor, so get used to it."

Grijs took one step forward with her good leg before slowly dragging her broken leg forward, careful not to be vigorous. She carefully set her foot down and winced but didn't fall.

"Okay… I'm fine." she whispered to herself. "This isn't too bad…"

Luuk chuckled. "Better than being dead weight."

Grijs cussed under her breath and spun around to look at him, almost losing her balance.

"I don't see you going off to find meat for us to eat."

"Well, I never scurried off because I thought I could take a hurling alone, so there's that." he shot back. "And I distinctly remember being your superior, so there's that as well."

Grijs winced and said no more, only taking to hobbling to and fro to settle into her new walk. Raisa walked alongside to make sure she didn't fall while Luuk went back to guarding the entrance to the cave.

Niklas walked into the cave, back from scouting ahead, to see Grijs up and about with Raisa alongside. In the back, he could see the triplets, Kristina, and a confused Damien playing together.

"Nice to see things aren't sour as they were two hours ago." he turned to Luuk. "I'm certain you made sure of that."

Luuk looked straight at Niklas and shot him a toothy smile, baring his fangs all the while. "Of course." his smile quickly became neutral. "What's it like ahead? Terrain isn't too harsh is it?"

As he said this, he eyed, not just Grijs, but the triplets and Kristina in the back. He knew well that they were all too untrained to climb sheer cliff face.

Niklas shook his head with closed eyes. He opened them and flashed his own fang-filled smile to Luuk. "No, nothing like that ahead. Just forest for a few kilometers more, then it opens into grass fields and a river cutting through."

"With Lunen straddling it somewhere down the line." presumed Luuk.

Niklas nodded, "That's the idea. The River Oudenrijn runs straight through Lunen." he adjusted his jacket. "Let's get ready now. It's almost evening."

With his words passed on to the rest of the group by Luuk, Niklas oversaw them packing up whatever was needed to be packed while they take time to scrub themselves clean with the water heated by the fire.

* * *

By the time they were finished preparing to leave, the sun was barely providing any light at all. For most other species of monsterkind, this would mark the time to stop and rest- for a group of sneasel, this was the perfect time to travel. The darkness provided the perfect cover for them to sneak past any eyes guarding the way.

The only problem with their renewed march was their speed.

"You sure you can't go any faster Grijs?" asked Damien as he walked alongside the injured sneasel. She focused on walking without giving herself too much pain but stopped for a moment to glare at him.

Damien continued his query, "I mean, I'm sure it's painful but we are in a rush…"

"Want me to stick my claw in your knee so you can find out how this feels?" inquired Grijs. Damien shook his head with vigor. Grijs stuck her nose in his face.

"Then I recommend being quiet."

Damien smartly did as asked and stayed quiet as he walked ahead of her.

Niklas worked hard with Luuk to keep an eye out for anything that could be threatening. Because of Grijs' injury, the normal tactic of crouching in the shadow until their leader says it's clear will not work- not when she can't kneel. Instead they chose to simply trudge on at a slow enough pace for her to walk, and to keep watch with rifle in hand.

Raisa walked up to Niklas and tapped his shoulder. "You hear that?"

Niklas focused for a moment before hearing the noise of something loud in the distance. The sound was little the crack of whips; a sound he knew all too well.

"…Guns."

"Hmm?" hummed Raisa. "What did you say?"

"Guns, which mean either someone is hunting wild game or-"

Luuk cut him off, "Our kind? Tch, isn't it our luck…"

"Follow me. We're going to have to tread carefully to avoid them."

The group heeded Niklas' words and followed closely as possible, mimicking his every action. A few times, they felt like someone has seen them but the lack of close gunfire told them the opposite.

After walking for close to an hour through the dense forest and underbrush, it started to become less dense and before long, they were standing on the edge of the forest amongst a field of tall grass. In the distance, a river could be seen- a small one only three metres across. The size was of no issue, the fact they found a river means only one thing.

"There's the River Oudenrijn." Niklas looked at the field of grass in front of him, illuminated by the moonlight. He could see no sign of any civilized life in the immediate area. "It looks clear but stay close. This field is heaven for a rifleman with a good eye."

"I agree with that statement as a scout." joked Grijs. The rest of the adults in the group gave her flat expression, nowhere near amused, "Tch. At least learn to take a joke."

"Death is a good joke." Luuk said as he scanned the tree line either way. He saw no sign of anything following them. "Nothing behind us. We're good to go for now."

"Follow me then." ordered Niklas.

The long march through the open field would be treacherous during the day but the dark pitch of the nighttime darkness gave them ample cover. Still, Niklas was on alert, knowing full well that anything could happen. He paused a few times to give his daughter a ride on his shoulders before letting her walk once more and address her constant concerns.

By the forty-minute mark, per Niklas' pocket watch, they reached the lower bank of the river.

"Are we continuing until Lunen?" asked Damien.

Niklas nodded to the younger sneasel, "Of course. This is no place to camp. We just have to press on."

"What I would give for a bed right now…" muttered Damien as he fell back in line with the rest. He settled in front of Grijs once more, "So miss sniper, how far can someone hit us from?"

Grijs snickered as she hobbled behind him, taking his taunt as a compliment, "As far as they can see. I could probably hit you from the tree line if I were hunting you."

"That's you though. Do you think the average huurling could?"

Grijs paused in step, "Maybe." she began to limp again, "But in this darkness, only someone with good night vision would be able to do it. Our eyes are reflective but not by much and our gems give off little reflection as well. Our feathers, your red ones are bright but is lost in the night easily against blue fur. My blue feather is worse- in the dark, it's almost invisible, along with my brown fur. I'm practically unsee-able."

"Wow… it's a wonder why you choose to be a scout."

Grijs snorted. "I had better reasons then matching the position well. I'm a good killer. I enjoy it."

Damien shivered at the thought. He never knew the very sneasel beside him enjoyed killing. He thought she was mad but now it was worse then he thought. He decided to prod farther, to see how mad she truly was.

"Do you know details on every monster?" inquired Damien.

Grijs looked up in thought, almost stumbling to the ground a few times but was caught by Damien each time. After the fifth fall, she knew what to say.

"Sort of. They trained me enough to know how to aim but stuff like that, I must deduce by observing. I shot quite a lot of people during the Conflict, not a single one matched the other. I killed basic pidgey to haxorus with my rifle…" she sighed. "I miss my rifle."

"You killed a haxorus?" he skeptically asked. "I don't believe that."

Grijs giggled to herself before joking with him, "Mister idealist doesn't believe I killed a haxorus. Why am I surprised?" she calmed down and put her right paw on his shoulder. "I killed him alright. Straight through the eye, out the side in a shower of all sorts of matter. The man was a field marshal, so I like to tell myself I extended the Conflict a few more months because of that kill."

"All it did was make things worse." called Luuk from up front. Grijs ignored him.

Damien scratched his head. "I kind of agree… I mean, _when_ did you kill him? Was it when calls for peace were finally being answered?"

"No, it was around a month before that." she paused. "Let me rephrase what I said: I like to think I made it take a bit… longer, for peace to be found."

She then smiled, sickening Damien.

"Hey, Luhnstedt won, didn't it?

"And you're still okay with that?" he asked her in an earnest tone, "Because that whole thing was a mistake. We're seeing the end result right now."

Damien's words cut into Grijs hard, making her wince in pain when she stepped incorrectly with her bad leg.

"Yeah, I guess it was…"

The idealist sneasel raised his brow in confusion, knowing full well that she would never usually agree to anything he says. He wanted to say more but decided to let the topic drop, lest she break his leg as she promised.

* * *

The group's long march down the river granted them a sight to behold after being in the wilderness for a month, one they'd been hoping for, for the longest while.

"Look at that. Lunen. The northernmost town in the kingdom." Niklas stopped and let his daughter down from his shoulder, letting her talk with the triplets. "Finally…"

Further down the river, straddling the banks, was a large village with the largest building being the town church with the town square in front of it- a typical setup in most towns. In the square, though quiet now, were usually markets held by the local farmers, craftsmen, and the occasional merchant guild trader. The town was quiet, being mid-morning, but the lit streetlamps bathed the small towns housing, of many shapes and sizes, some typical two-story homes, others in the shape of monsters, in a graceful orange hue.

Luuk let out a sorrowful laugh, "To think, this'll be the last piece of civilization we'll see for the rest of our lives."

"Now who said we'd never come back?" retorted Niklas. "Do you really think they are going to enforce our stay by emplacing guildies at the "border"; wherever that may be on the map? The logistics for such a thing is absurd." he gestured to the town down the way, "Visiting Lunen will be rare but I'll make sure we aren't completely out of contact with the world."

"So how far are we going to go?" inquired Raisa, rummaging through the satchel on her side, "Ten kilometres? Twenty?"

"Try fifty." Luuk answered, looking over to Niklas, "Right?"

Niklas nodded and looked past the town, the forest in the distance. Thinking of the possibilities for them past the last piece of civilization. He sighed quietly and whispered,

"Hopefully, within a few years, we'll have our own town." he gestured to the group to follow him, "Come on now, only a kilometre or two more."

"You always say that." complained Damien, rewarding him with an unamused glare from Niklas, "Not that it's a problem!"

Walking down the bank of the river towards the town, Niklas was certain that they were okay. Unknown to him, and the group, on the opposite side of the bank, someone was taking aim at the easiest target. Aiming at Grijs, they got ready to fire, finger on the trigger.

Raisa happened to glance over to the opposite bank and did a double take when she saw something reflecting the moonlight. Squinting hard, she realized what it was- and who they were aiming at. Making a quick decision, she formed a shard of ice in her hand and threw it at the monster on the opposing bank. With the distance being thrown, the shard would do little to harm whoever was there, but her intention was to distract not harm.

The shard hit them in the face sideways, plinking off lightly but ultimately surprising him. A curt shout of surprise told the rest that something was up.

"What's going on?" asked Niklas as he walked up to a crouching Raisa. She pointed across the bank, and with proper time to focus, both could see that the mysterious gunman was a grumpig, "Another huurling!?" he turned to the rest of the group, and shouted, not too loudly. "Scatter!"

In anger, the grumpig pulled up his rifle back up to his eye and aimed for the nearest night-walker, angry they would dare attack him with a joke of an attack. On the opposite side, Niklas was still pulling out his rifle from behind his back, having put it away thinking all was clear- a mistake.

"Go meet your master Yveltal, damn devils." the Grumpig muttered as he fired. Seconds later, a bullet hit him square in the chest, knocking him down but not out.

Niklas hoped to every god above them that the Grumpig missed them all but Raisa's scream of shock as she looked down the bank told him everything. He looked over to where she was looking, confident the bullet he put in the Grumpig will keep him from fighting back, to see Grijs standing above someone, Luuk running over.

Damien laid on the ground limp, blood seeping out of hole in his upper chest- right where his heart would be.

"...I was too slow." he muttered as Raisa ran over as well, in desperation to keep the young sneasel alive.

It was already too late.

In bitter anger, Niklas looked over to the Grumpig. He saw him breathing. That would not do.

He shot a quick ice beam at the river, freezing enough to get to the other side. Once their, he let is instinct take over- ignoring the pleading for mercy. He ripped the Grumpig's throat out with his claws, then his eyes, and before the Grumpig expired, plunged his claws into his heart and lungs, one last shot of pain for the departing psychic.

He looked at his hands as he sat back, and to the corpse of the Grumpig. A look to Damien's, and the group around his lifeless body, hit him with guilt- of which he set aside. Putting on a solid, neutral expression, he walked back over his temporary ice bridge and to the rest of the group.

"He's dead." Luuk said to him as he walked up to them. The fellow sneasel spotted the blood on Niklas' claws and looked over to the Grumpig, frowning at the sight, "And so is the huurling I see..."

"Yes..." Niklas said, trying his best to keep calm, "He's dead."

Another look down at the lifeless sneasel on the ground, his eyes staring at nothing in particular, mouth agape in his last moments of living, frought with pain, almost made the leader tear up but a few deep breaths was all that came out from Niklas.

"They both are."

* * *

An hour was spent on burying the young sneasel, as the Grumpig as well. Two graves along the riverbank, both marked by stone and cut into with claw, one with a name, the other, 'huurling'. A quick prayer by the group and they were back on their way.

A multitude of the same thing over a period of two months, and no tears were shed for too long- it would only get them killed.

"We're lucky no one came after both shots were fired." admitted Niklas as Luuk walked beside him. His fellow sneasel grumbled silently but Niklas could make out the words, "Another in the ground." he glanced back at the graves behind them, getting further as they walked, "Yes, another one."

"How many more until we're safe?" asked Luuk, a somber tone to his voice, "I'm tired to us dying."

"I don't know... I thought we were safe once by town but..." Niklas looked to the opposite bank, "I guess we aren't."

Luuk let out a long sigh and cleared his throat, "As long as we _exist_ we aren't safe."

"No... as long as we're still in the Kitherlands," Niklas gestured to the land around them. "we aren't. Past Lunen, we won't be."

"I hope you're right." Luuk said, passing Niklas, who paused in step and watched his daughter huddle with the triplets, all of them scared but not seriously shaken- it wasn't the first person they witnessed die. He looked back to the town and it's lights, some hope still within him that everything will be okay past this point.

"I hope I'm right as well." he whispered to himself as he walked to the front of the group once more and took lead on the way to town.

* * *

 _End Chapter 3_

* * *

 _Please take the time to leave a review/critique, I encourage all forms of commentary._

 _\- Cyansparki_


	4. Leven

_Chapter 4_

* * *

 _"A captain **to** his men is a man of honor. A captain **for** his men, is a man of guided light._

 _A captain **because** of his men, is a man unstoppable."_

\- Aurelz Koltz, Duke of Letz

* * *

 _Leven_

* * *

In the middle of a military camp laid a sneasel in the midst of crates and barrels of supplies, as if she were a piece of inventory herself.

Her vision for the past hour and a half has been nothing but the fabric of a potato sack- or a flour sack, she wasn't sure. Whatever the case, she's been bound, tied, and blinded.

And she was bored.

"I want to move… my legs hurt and this is so… so…" she let out a whine, "Booooooring…"

She sighed and rolled, as she did for the past hour and a half, only to hit what she assumed was a barrel. Rolling back, she hit something, heavier- a box by her ears.

"It can't be any liquid… doesn't sound like powders. Maybe berries? Who stuffs berries in a barrel though?" she asked herself. She scoffed and instinctively tried to put her hand to her face only to meet the ropes keeping her arms in place.

She groaned then sighed, "I'm sounding crazier every day… hehehe… haaaaaaaa… I just want to be back on a manor… I can't take being alone anymore…"

Thankfully for her, her fine-tuned hearing picked up sets of footsteps. Unlike before, when they passed by- she hoped they'd let her go- they came closer and closer until she heard the accursed barrel get moved away.

She held back from rolling her way to freedom but she knew better- a bullet or a dagger awaited her if she dared to embarrass herself.

Besides, the barrel had been placed there for a reason.

"Katze, it's nice to see again…" her captor smirked as he looked down at her small form. "What's your name?"

"Kodily…" she answered, the sack getting in the way of moving her lips slghtly, "Kodily Loewe of County Altnau, Duchy of Letz."

"Kodi, huh?" the lead mercenary, she assumed that's who this man was, replied. She didn't bother to correct him- she never liked using her full name either. "Cute name. And a long way from home…"

She heard him step closer to her and grab the ropes binding the sack over her head.

"It's no fun to talk to someone when we can't see eye to eye. Let me do something about that…"

Kodi watched the sack come loose and slip away roughly, revealing the world around her.

"Oh, thank you. I was tired to seeing nothing." she said flippantly.

The mercenary in front of her was an ambipom in a light grey army uniform holding a large rifle in one tail, a saber in the other. A short way behind him, she could see a small group of mercenaries, weapons in hand and wearing the same uniform as him.

"Like the décor? I think it's beautiful." he gestured to a small row of pikes, each with the head of a different species of dark monsters on it. She could see motley assortment of dead dark types like her- noting the lack of sneasel within the mix. "Took time to make it but, it's quite lovely."

She sighed loudly, unamused. "It's nice but… I'm sure we both know I don't care what you show me at this point."

She watched him eye her body and he scanned every detail of this sneasel, head to toe.

"Simple clothes, a little dirty... fur is too, a lot more. Most of her ear feather is gone… just a stub now. Doesn't smell so this runt has some decency. She's obviously been through hard labor- it's stained her fur permanently."he thought aloud to himself.

"Huh?" the weak gasp pulled him from his thoughts. Jakob chuckled.

"You're quite dirty for a young lady…" he walked around the dark-monster, shaking his to her as she laid on the ground. "Servant?"

"Yeah..." she curtly responded. "Is that a problem, sir?" she added.

She expected him to be tired of her attitude- after all, she just wanted a quick death- but in fact, she could that her attitude amused him.

"Well Kodi, a servant isn't much use to me and I don't want to play in a cot when my juwel is around." he gloated, leaving Kodi in the dark at where he was going.

"Go on…" she muttered quietly.

"Well, in all honesty, I should cut your head off now and save you the suffering." he said, leaving a long pause to let the idea sink in before finishing with, "But that's no fun."

"Hmm?" she rolled onto her back as best she could and did her best to look up at him, still unable to move properly, "Fun?"

"Yes, fun. Haven't had a lot of entertainment lately and me and my men are growing bored of straight up slaughtering you and your kind. There's no fun when you have the advantage."

He grabbed her and lifted her up, surprising Kodi with how strong he was.

"So, here's how it'll go, you'll do something that'll be entertaining and I won't," he pointed at the pikes nearby with his saber. "stick your head on those for your ghost, or spirit, or whatever happens to you deaths-edge monsters when you die, to watch in misery as I carry it around for the world to see." he chuckled and spun his saber a few times before getting in Kodi's face.

"Understand what I am asking you?"

Kodi slowly nodded, "Yes… I… I understand."

He put her down in a seated position and lightly pat her head. Kodi's tough façade started to fall apart by this point, realizing the quick death she wanted wasn't happening. Her expression, a fusion of confused and terror, made the ambipom and his men laugh.

"Ah, I can see you breaking already." the ambipom slammed his fist onto the ground next to her with a crazy laugh. "I always love breaking people who try to act tough!"

Kodi decided to keep the conversation going before she completely broke down in front of him.

"What do you want me to do sir?"

The ambipom flicked his swords about playfully, something she looked away from in worry. A few times, she could hear when one of his swords came by her head as he played.

"A game. Finish a task within this game, and you live a month longer. Fail, a month shorter. Run out of months…" he let the saber hit the box behind her, just above her ears. She opened her eyes to see, in shock, how close he came to scalping her.

"And I'll cut your head off and look for a new teufel to have fun with. Let's look at those pikes again."

He pointed off to the pikes and forced Kodi to look with a rough pull.

"If you were curious, these fine teufel were former entertainers that failed too much." he poked one of the heads, a purrloin, and laughed. "This one here- Amara- she lasted the longest at four months. Try to last longer than that and I might let you live…"

He smacked his saber into the box above once again, making her jump in shock.

"But I'm not a man of solid promises…" he pulled it out again, and beamed. "But anyways, we have a deal?"

Kodi sat there, out of options and uncertain if this were the best choice- on one hand, she _was_ ready to die a few minutes ago, but he ruined that, now she didn't want to. The other choice was to participate in a madman's version of a fun game.

Simply put, it was play his game or die right now and her fear of death was too great now.

"I'll do it."

"Good choice," he stepped up to her and picked her up, setting her down on the crate when a dewott stepped up to him and whispered something him. He closed his eyes and rubbed his chin before chuckling with dark intent.

"Hehehehe… mmhmm…"

He opened his eyes and stared straight at hers. Kodi felt that whatever he was going to say, she wasn't going to like.

"Well katze teufel, I," he laid a hand on his chest with flourish. "Captain Jakob of the Duchy of Luhnstedt, will be giving your first task as advised by my lovely juwel, Klara."

He gave her a smile, one that put on her nerves on the edge.

"I want you to go and find me a small band of dark monsters not too far along to the east."

He shoved the rifle that he held in his tail onto her lap. She looked up in disbelief at the monkey as he chuckled madly- she knew what he wanted her to do and she didn't want to do it.

"When you find them, lead them back here for us to deal with. Try to escape, and I'll torture you- try to kill _me_ and it'll be a long death Kodi. One that I will drag on for months."

Kodi just nodded in understanding. She wanted to, very so, but she knew that he would never dare send her out alone- he's her little pet now.

"Once everyone's here, we'll have some fun…"

* * *

Kodi sat there, counting over and over the number of heads in front of her. Sometimes she lost count but it was fine- it was only to hold over her boredom and her feelings. Every so often, she glanced to the rifle sitting against the side of the tent.

She glanced over once more to the pile of heads, five new ones on the top from her alone, and muttered, "Why… why don't I just kill myself?"

Kodi sighed, letting herself fall onto the ground limply.

"I'm too afraid… I don't want to die… but if I kill myself…"

She felt someone grab her by her shoulder and lift her up to a seated position.

"Well now, don't go doing that. You'll regret it." Kodi turned to see the dewott from earlier holding onto her, "Good job though… not many would dare kill to keep their lives."

"Yeah, I _enjoyed_ shooting that absol in the head…" Kodi replied in pure disgust, angry that this mercenary would dare taunt her about what happened earlier.

She never knew the ambipom would be so ruthless and torturous- she didn't even know maces still existed.

The dewott ignored her angry tone, "Your name is Kodi, if I heard you correctly earlier, right?" Kodi scoffed but eventually nodded, "Jakob already said mine but I'll repeat."

She did an elaborate bow in front of Kodi.

"My name is Klara. Klara von Dietz."

Kodi jumped back in surprise and immediately kneeled on the ground in front of her on instinct. Only those within powerful families held names with von in it.

"My apologies! At your service your…"

Klara pulled her up to seated position.

"No. No bowing or kneeling. Right now, I'm just a soldier, not some prim in a dress. Do so when we're in my family's manor or I ask such of you."

Kodi nodded, "I… err… I understand."

Klara walked around Kodi and laid out a sheet above the beheaded monsters- to Kodi's relief, she didn't want to see them anymore- before turning back to her.

"Listen, I came to get you- Jakob wants to see you. And…" Klara pulled a pile of clothes out of her bag, plopping a pile of clothes on the ground. Kodi could see it was the uniform worn by the rest of the soldiers.

"He wants you to wear this. Don't bother complaining, it's his word or your head. Don't want to die do you?"

"No…" her anger faded, "I don't."

Kodi started to undress her regular clothes, slowly slipping into the uniform, some trouble when it came to the claws on her feet almost ripping the pants. She can retract the claws on her hands to make life easy but not on her feet.

"Rrr…" as she carefully shimmied up her new pants, she wondered aloud, "Do I really need to wear this…?"

"Well, if you want to stay alive when we eventually enter a town, you'll be needing to wear the uniform of this mietenkorp. To be exact, we are the 9th Mietenkorp of Luhnstedt."

"Mietenkorp?" Kodi asked as she fitted the shirt on her, making sure the buttons were done right, "What's that?"

"Means lease corps in low common. Officially, we're not mercenaries because we have a seal of approval from a duke or guild master. With that, our corps of soldiers is hired by whomever to do whatever they want, _legally_."

Kodi paused in dressing. "So… this isn't just a really well equipped mercenary band?"

"No. We're an official unit, part of the Duchy of Luhnstedt, Jakob is…" the dewott paused and shook her head, "was a captain of Luhnstedt's army. After the Conflict, he and his men left, with Jakob getting the seal of sale from the Duke himself, in exchange for a monthly cut of all pay. I joined as they passed through my father's land." she giggled. "A rather abrupt decision but one I do not regret."

Kodi fitted the military cap on her head, adjusting it slightly to comfortably fit her ears through the small holes on the top. It was the last piece of the uniform- Kodi didn't know why, but she felt far more comfortable in it. A sense of honor and a feeling of belonging.

"It's feels so weird..." observed the coats sleeves and adjusted the collar. "The uniform of a soldier."

"That it is. I felt the same way when I left with Jakob. Without permission I may add..."

Kodi shook the thought away and latched onto the last thing the otter said.

"Wait… you left, _without_ permission?"

Klara started to walk out, seeing the sneasel was finished dressing. She knew the sneasel would be shocked by the reveal- she was a servant after all.

"Yes. My father was mad at first but he relented- Jakob kept maiming those he sent to retrieve me."

She followed Klara out, marching right alongside the dewott.

"Can I ask you something Miss Klara?" Klara didn't glance over to her but the lack of any word quieting her meant she was listening, "Why did you join a mietenkorp in the first place?"

"Because… I like it. I always loved the thrill of battle ever since one happened in the field near my town." the dewott gestured to the camp around them. "Plus, I learn much from the people around us, tactic, information, people… this mietenkorp may be just a simple group of soldiers for hire but it's teaching me skills I'll need in the future if I want my dream's to be fulfilled."

Kodi kept her words in the back of her mind as she walked along, unable to find something else to ask.

"You know…" started Klara. The dewott turned to the sneasel. "Why did you become a servant?"

"It wasn't a choice."

Klara stopped and Kodi could feel that she wasn't happy with her answer- which confused Kodi; why would a noble care about a lowly servant like her?

"Oh…" she started to walk again, faster this time, "That explains it…"

"Explains… what?"

"I shouldn't be shocked an indentured servant would want to die. A life of domestic service, no hope of freedom… no hope to fulfill their dreams…"

Kodi stayed quiet until they arrived at Jakob's tent. There Klara heard her muttering, "I rather be back in that old manor…"

"What a silly thought..." Klara replied, slipping into the tent, Kodi right behind, confused by what she meant. Once inside, they spotted Jakob sitting at a table, staring hard at the map in front of him. He didn't bother to look up when he mumbled a quiet "Hello" to them.

Klara walked up beside him and put a hand on his shoulder, "You know, if you stare hard enough captain, you might start seeing bounties on the map."

Jakob snorted a few times before saying, "Yes, that's because I have an imagination." he looked up from the map and to the water-type holding him. "Let go, mein juwel." he said playfully.

She let go and laughed. "Always too serious- I'm not even hugging you!" she looked at the map and saw the lines that Jakob has made, noticing the newest one, and groaned.

"Why don't we stay in one place for more than a week this time?"

"Because dark-monster are not called the 'tricksters of Ainapia' for nothing. We must move accordingly as word travels between towns, between groups. Even groups that are hundreds of kilometers apart are always within the same loop." he glanced at Kodi standing before him. "Only those who travel alone are easy to catch."

Kodi said nothing but gave him a frown while flattening her ears in shame.

A luxio casually slipped into the tent. Kodi could see he had clearly too much to drink but was somehow not stumbling onto the ground.

"Yes, but the challenge… is catching an entire group… off-guard." the luxio said. He put a paw on Kodi's back, "This li' girl… _hic_ … she can do it…"

Jakob scoffed, "Only a small group. She's _real_ lucky…" he stared into Kodi. "But that does raise a question."

"Yes sir?" she asked.

"You worked a rifle well despite having been a servant your entire life, even if I made you execute one of them. I know training when I see it." he walked up to her and put his nose to hers, making the cat uncomfortable. "When and how did you learn to work a rifle?"

Kodi stepped back and let out her breath, having held it in when he got close.

"My old Master… he was former officer... so he trained us to fight in case there was ever a chance we... we needed to fight for our home."

Jakob stepped back, throwing his head back in laughter. The luxio joined in but Klara stayed unusually quiet.

"What an old fool your Master was then. If your standing here, it clearly didn't work!" he stopped laughing and shook his head. "Fool shouldn't trust his servants when teufel like you are amongst them. Just leads you to ruin."

"My old Master didn't want us to fight for him! He was old!" she took a breath and drew back slightly when she realized her out-of-step outburst, but continued. "He wanted us to defend his family and ourselves."

Jakob and the luxio looked at each other and snickered for only a moment, not taking her seriously. Klara, on the other hand, was shocked.

"Whatever the case is katze, your old Master is dead and gone. I'm your new Master," he pointed to her. "and for however long you wear that uniform, you must listen to me." he smirked while she sagged in despair. "Not that you have a choice."

He turned to the luxio, who was still laughing in his drunken stupor.

"Lieutenant Henry, what are you doing here in the first place?" he questioned. He looked the luxio's face in detail. "And drunk as well?"

"Well si… sir… _hic_ … I have some in… info."

"And that is…?" the ambipom asked, tapping his foot impatiently.

"Na… north. Whoooole caravan of'em… day away… dru… drunk a farmer unda… under a table…"

Jakob smiled and turned to Klara.

"Seems we have a lead better than guesswork. Sergeant, fetch Thomas and tell him to scout ahead."

Klara nodded, "Right captain. I'm on it."

The dewott saluted, Jakob saluting back, and walked out. Jakob then turned to his drunken lieutenant, who looked as if he were about to bring back his lunch.

"Lieutenant Henry…"

"Yes… cap… captain?"

The ambipom drew a dagger and threw it, nailing it to the wooden support the luxio was standing next to, making the drunken officer fall onto the ground.

"Get out of my sight you idiot! I've told you plenty of times to not drink on duty! I catch you sloshed on more time, your ears come off and I'll wear them myself!"

The luxio ran out in a hurry to make himself nonexistent before his captain decided to follow through, leaving the sneasel with the malicious ambipom captain.

"Well, now that we're alone katze," Jakob said as he walked up to her, pulling out the dagger he threw, "Let's talk about your next task."

Kodi stood silently rigid in place, mostly from his action seconds ago- she can't fight that.

"Your next task is for you to gather up enough ale, rum, whiskey…" he stepped away and looked out of the tent "Whatever my soldiers need to satisfy their drinking habits. It's up to you how you acquire it but I give you until the end of the week, when… _Henry_ estimates the stock will run out."

He turned back to her and put one of his tail-hands on her shoulder, roughly turning her around and bringing her closer to him.

"And if you somehow catch the attention of guildies or get in trouble with the law, then I'll cut your legs off and hand you over to them. Understand teufel?"

"Y-yes si…" she stopped and looked down, "Master…"

Jakob smiled and pat her solider before shoving her to the ground and slamming his other tail next to her face in anger.

"It's **_Captain_** but I'll let it slide this time. Not sir, not master. _Captain_. Say it wrong one more time and I cut off those silly gems you damn katze have." he walked back to the table and waved her off. "Now, out of my tent. Sleep with your new friends- the ones that have the brawn but no brain!"

Kodi quickly got off the ground and scampered out of Jakob's tent in fear. Once back in the tent he assigned to her, the one they stored the bodies in before they burned them, she had an uncomfortable sleep but she was happy she wasn't among the dead bodies.

It was a small comfort.

* * *

She woke up the next day with little to do but try and figure out how to acquire a large amount of liquor in a short time. As the hours passed, Kodi made up her time trying to find out if there were any nearby towns she could visit to fulfill her newest task. None of the other soldiers gave her much help, most be indifferent, while others were amused but uncooperative- they wanted to see her fail.

She turned to physically scouting the area around the camp, remembering the small town from before but found nothing except for kilometers of rural countryside. Plenty of farms yes, but farmers never had that much in the way of liquor stocked, especially enough for an entire company of soldiers.

Kodi gave up soon enough and decided to just hang around the camp, choosing a rock at one of the farther edges, when one of the soldiers came up to her.

"Ey, sneasel." Kodi turned to see a meowstic, a female one judging by her white fur. Fur that is somewhat browner than usual but she chalked it up to the lack of hygiene soldiers are known for. "What're you trying to do? Get yourself killed?"

"Hmm? Oh, I'm just thinking."

The meowstic looked around, glancing at the forests nearby and the large fields surrounding them.

"You realize that even if you wear that uniform, you still have a price on your head, correct?" she put her hands on her hip. "None of us are going to jump at the chance to save you. I don't get paid to save your life."

"I realize that." Kodi sighed. "Sometimes, I wish the Conflict hadn't happened. I just want to be with my old Master."

The meowstic walked up beside her and sat down. She chuckled quietly.

"I wish that too. Lost a few friends on the way and now I'm here because I don't know what to do in life anymore."

"At least you aren't being forced into exile…" her quiet voice made the meowstic sigh at the idea.

"It's funny. Not that many people had problems with your kind- I really don't understand this exile. But I can't complain- Jakob would have my head."

Kodi put a claw to her chin in thought.

"I guess it's because dark monsters don't get along with all the other groups of monster." surmised Kodi.

The meowstic giggled. "I definitely do and I'm a psychic monster." she threw her arms to the sky. "I grew up here in the Kitherlands but hell, one of personal friends is... was a mightyena."

Kodi leaned back in shock and fell straight off the rock she was sitting on.

"Ah!" she yelled as struggled to get off the grass.

"Is that really that shocking?" the psychic cat asked her dark counterpart.

Kodi scrambled up to her feet and sat back up on the rock, brushing herself of dirt, "I guess not. Where I came from, there were servants of all kinds." she let out a short laugh and then a long sigh. "But I never thought a dark and psychic monster could ever get along without being forced together. It's mostly us dark monsters down in Ruarktschland."

The meowstic let out a prolonged giggle at the naïve thought.

"I thought the same but when you're in company with a few of them over a long time, you get along. Hurt to see him go, along with so many others." she put her hand on the sneasel knee. "You're lucky you never had friends to lose. All I can do is drink occasionally when I feel bad."

Kodi closed her eyes and looked away towards the forest, "If only that were true."

"Oh, so you've lost someone in all this too?" the meowstic sat up straight, "What were they like."

"I don't want to speak about it," Kodi looked back at the meowstic, her eyes looking away from her. "Especially when I don't know you at all. I don't even know your name."

"Funny, I don't know yours. Why'd you think I called you sneasel?" she snorted and flicked the stubby feather atop Kodi's head. "You're the only one around."

The meowstic stood up and held her hand out to her with a confident smile.

"Name's Julia. A standard rifleman but I specialize in shield arts now."

Kodi took her hand and shook it.

"Kodi. Umm… Servant specializing in… err… cooking?" she let go of Julia's hand and scratched her head. "I still don't know to trust you."

"I would say, 'I'm not like everyone' but at the end of the day, I have to admit I was there when Jakob was toying with you but believe me, not everyone in this company is as," she looked back to make sure no one was watching or listening. When she was certain, she continued. _"crazy_ as him. He's a good captain, amazing really, but he's more at home torturing in a dungeon then on a battlefield the way he acts."

She leaned into Kodi's ear.

"Word is that he tried to run off with the Duke's daughter, so he made him a captain, hoping he would die. Obviously, he didn't, so instead the duke forced him to do this. He still went to bed with her anyways."

Kodi let out an honest giggle, the first one she's had in a long time.

* * *

After another day of asking around, it was revealed the company was moving north as it was found that the drunk lieutenant's information was actually correct, though Kodi questions how a drunk officer got that information in the first place from a farmer of all people.

Despite not being an official part of the company, she lent her hand in dismantling and packing away the tents to cure her boredom. It had a hand in granting her some respect from a few of the soldiers but most of them ignored her. She decided it was better than being disliked.

The march after packing everything was boring and uneventful. Kodi mostly spent her time walking alongside Julia, who told her a few stories of her time in the war while Kodi slowly opened herself up to the meowstic.

She expected the other soldiers to say something, especially Jakob, but even he didn't care that she was spending her time socializing. Then again, he was the one to shove a rifle in her lap, so Julia's words may be true to some fashion. Kodi assumed they all knew she was going to die sooner or later and probably don't care what she does, except run away.

She lagged once when she got distracted by a field of tulips, a sight rare in Ruarktschland but natural in the Kitherlands. Next thing she knew, Jakob had his saber to her throat.

She wisely kept her mind on following the company's pace from now on.

Two hours after what she was calling the Tulip Incident, she spotted something in the distance.

"Is that…" the sneasel squinted a saw the outline of what looked like a cluster of buildings, "a town?"

Julia nodded. "I think it was said that we were going to pass Diermen. Pretty small but important trading town I heard. Crossroad of two trader roads."

Kodi's heart lifted at the word trade and realized that this town was her chance to get what was asked of her.

"Are you okay? You staring quite hard at that church." Julia said in concern.

The sneasel nodded vigorously.

"I'm fine. I'll be fine. Just… excited, I guess."

"What? Excited?" asked a rather confused Julia.

Soon, the company's march halted before the town gate. Kodi spied in to see a bustling market far along the streets in the town's square, which was beneath the large church that stood above the town.

She already had taken count of how much liquor there usually was, thanks to Henry's loose mouth- five barrels worth.

The company was down to a mere two. All she had to do was somehow procure another three- more if possible. Might as well go above and beyond whenever she could though she guessed that Jakob was a dry man, so she thought this would be of little benefit to him.

All she had to do was get into town- easy work when they're just outside of it.

* * *

"No one's going into the town." ordered Jakob.

"What!?"

"Is this another of his game's?"

"Captain, you aren't horsing around are you!?"

The ambipom narrowed his eyes at the crowd of officers and soldiers before him, folding his arms in the meanwhile. They all took the hint and settled down before he actually got mad.

"If you all must know, there is a small assembly from the Guild of St. Marks in town. What they're doing isn't my concern but they don't want us interfering so we're staying right here for the night."

He slammed both of his tails into the ground, flinging the earth far and cracking the ground around him.

"And if any of you are caught going into town by those guildies, when they give your tortured bodies back to me. I. WILL. Have. Your. Head."

Kodi could only lose her spirit at his words. She had no chance to get into town- not when she was being watched all the time.

"What do I do…?" she whispered. Everyone was walking past her, going off to do whatever they were assigned when they camped. Julia walked up to her and put a hand on her shoulder.

"This doesn't affect you at all, does it?" she asked.

Kodi barely shook her head, enough for the other cat to see it but not enough for anyone else.

"It definitely does. I need to get into that town- either I do so, or I…" she put her hand to her neck instinctively. "I won't have a head soon."

"Ah. I see." Julia pat her on the back and walked away. "Eh, good luck. I can't risk my head as well. Sorry."

"Thanks..." she looked back to see her acquaintance already mixed in with the small crowd. "It's fine."

Kodi walked over to the road nearby and sat on the fence, trying to hold back her tears but failed after a few minutes of trying to convince herself she'd be okay.

"Wh… what am I going to do…? I can't go in town… if I can't go in… I can't get what's needed…" she wiped a tear away and rubbed away at her runny nose. "If I don't, then I lose my head. And I don't want to die."

She held her head in her hands and pulled it into her knees.

"What do I do!?" she yelled into knees, coming out as quieter but still enough to be heard.

"My, my... What do, you do?"

She slowly pulled her head out of her chest and turned to find a young buizel standing on the road dressed in garb reserved for travelers.

"W-what?"

"I asked: what do, you do?" he folded his arms, "I mean, clearly you need to get into town. For what, I don't know, but you need to or you won't have your head." he scoffed and kicked at the dirt. "And I know personally, that no one likes having their head cut off, it isn't pleasant and probably isn't healthy."

Kodi couldn't help but giggle at the buizel's dry humor, even as she tried to cover it up as best as she could. Her giggles, made him smirk in turn.

"Glad to see you're not inconsolable and dank de goden, because I'm not a priest... yet."

Kodi wiped away her tears and looked away.

"Why are you talking to me anyways? I'm a dark monster- no reason to care about what happens to me and if anything, killing me-"

She was unable to finish when the sea weasel kick the fence hard, sending her to the ground.

"Now, that's quite asinine to think no one cares as it is to think everyone would kill for a pay. Only to sick, silly, or…" he looked over to the camp Jakob's company was setting up. "the sold, would do. The boer of this land wouldn't bother doing something that would stain their souls."

He paused and rested his head in the palm of his hand, eyes closed in thought.

"Doesn't mean they would help you in turn though. Most, I am sad to admit, would most likely ignore you. Others, more desperate, would cut a deal with those who _would_ harm you and entrap you."

He opened his eyes to see an unsure Kodi, her eyes darting around as she questioned his words.

"I'm rambling." he held out his hand. "My name is Gregory."

"Uh… Kodi." she shook his hand weakly, only for him to heartily shake up and down, dizzying the cat, "Aa… please stop!"

"Hah!" he let go of her hand. "I'm sorry but your hand is weak. You need some vigor within you."

He pulled a charm out of the pocket of his coat and held it up to her.

"Want to pray to the gods for strength?" he tapped a finger to his mouth. "I recommend praying to da Woeden. She is known best for bravery and strength."

Kodi gently pushed his hand away. "I don't need prayer. I need help."

"What kind of help? As a man of the many, I aim to be a leader to them all." he pointed at Kodi, "You count, even if your status is paria in the eyes of the boer of the Kitherlands."

"Well…"

Kodi glanced between the buizel in front of her to the town down the road. She did this a few times before sighing.

"Is it possible for you to help me sneak into town? I need to get something."

Gregory chuckled and grinned with confidence she's never seen before.

"That's quite a simple task. Consider it a deal."

"Thank you."

He held up his hand and opened it, letting a charm, not unlike the one he pulled out before.

"One catch is that you must promise me to pray to da Woeden for strength. Do so and I will surely be able to help you."

Kodi took the charm from him. A long glance at the charm showed her that it was in the shape of a curved 'H', gems in the centre of either side.

"Um…" she stared it intently, giving away her confusion, "What… what do I say in a prayer? And…" she looked away in shame. "Who is da Woeden?"

Gregory quickly stepped close to her, a look on his face that told her she should have stayed quiet instead of speaking her concerns.

"Do you not know the gods!?" he asked in a voiced panic, his eyes somewhat calmer but his face still worried. "How do you not know!?"

"I've been a servant my whole life! No one ever taught me anything about gods or how to pray…" her ears drooped as she looked down at the ground. "I was shuffled around a lot… they never taught me much at all besides haushaltung and kochen."

"That's not right! Whoever your teachers were, deserve the Voidlands for their treachery!" he laid a hand on her chest. "Once I help with your current problem, I will try to teach as much as I know about the gods. For now, I will leave you with the knowledge of da Woeden, Goddess of Willpower. She is sister to da Zelfin and da Vesprit…"

* * *

Night was upon the small town of Diermen. Known for being the crossroad of Road Ravenswaay and Road Schaapsbrug, the town is usually abuzz during the day as traders hock their wares and, in the local trading house, other traders barter goods with one another, hoping to make a profit in faraway towns. Now, it was quiet as most of the townsfolk and traders were asleep.

Gregory calmly waltzed into town with Kodi behind him, confused as to why he was so calm.

"Aren't you worried the people from the guild will catch us? Catch…" she looked down at herself, out of the uniform and in similar garb as the buizel. "me?"

"If they do, I will handle it. They cannot harm a holy man as me." he quietly chuckled to himself and flashed her a confident grin. She was sure that was bold lie from him- only to make her feel better. "But I assure you, they will never catch us as long as we have prayed to the gods."

"I still don't believe that'll help." muttered Kodi as she followed him.

They crept into a small, dark alley that soon adjoined the large square. She was amazed by the size of the church in comparison to the buildings around them- the manor she used to work in was larger yes, but not as elegant.

"It's amazing…" she whispered, her bright red eyes scanning all the details she could see. "It's so tall!"

Gregory chuckled. "While I cannot see it well, the church is always the focal point of life in this world." he gestured to it. "So it is always the most gracefully crafted building in all towns and cities, to bring all due attention to them as they deserve."

They walked past it, sticking to the shadows and avoiding the lit gas lanterns lining the square. They slipped past a slightly larger gap between two where a stairwell sat to the road below, revealing the fact the town was not as flat as Kodi thought.

One block down from the square, they came upon a small park and she noticed a large building at the other side with a large sign. She can only barely make it out, even with her dark-inclined vision, but what she did, she knew it was important.

"What is that building?" she quizzed her guide.

"It is the trading house here in Diermen- all sorts of goods are stored within. Whatever you desire lay within."

He stopped and turned around to face the sneasel, putting a hand on her shoulder.

"Are you sure you wish to go inside? Those from the Guild of St. Mark are taking refuge within- a surefire way to get in serious trouble if caught. If they don't cut your head off, then that captain you talked about will."

He folded his arms.

" _If_ they hand you back to him."

Kodi looked back towards the way out of town, the street lined with buildings of both simple and monster styles with the church taking the center focus.

She then turned to the park, the trading house on the other side. The tall building held what she was looking for but also people more than willing to get rid of her- after all, the Guild's are the ones enforcing the current situation her and her peoples were in.

She took a few deep breaths to keep calm as she made her decision, thinking back upon the last few days and the possible future- while bleak, still had promise if she were to stay alive.

"We're going inside. Lead me in please."

Gregory smiled. He walked in front of her once more and took lead, walking into the park.

"As you ask."

* * *

 _End Chapter 4_

* * *

 _Please remember to leave a review- I encourage all criticism._

 _\- CyanSparki_

* * *

- _ **Linguistic Librar** y_-

 _ **Low common** : the natural language all monsters first know by right of birth. All monsters and beasts know it instinctively but increased use of regional languages has started to diminish this trait. The nobles and guilds of the continent push forward the increasing use of these languages._

* * *

 _- **Ruartsche** -_

 _ **teufel** \- demon/devil  
_ _ **katze** \- cat  
_ _ **mietenkorp** \- lease corps: a somewhat more controlled version of the real life Friekorps without the radicalism  
_ _ **juwel** \- jewel  
_ _ **haushaltung** \- housekeeping  
_ _ **kochen** \- kitchen_

* * *

 _- **Kitch** -_

 _ **dank de goden** \- thank the gods  
_ _ **boer** \- farmer  
_ _ **paria** \- pariah  
_ _ **da Woeden** \- The Rage: A nickname for the Goddess of Willpower  
_ _ **da Zelfin** \- The Self: A nickname for the Goddess of Knowledge  
 **da Vesprit**_ \- _The Very Spirit: A nickname for the Goddess of Emotion_


	5. Stilte

_Chapter 5_

* * *

' _Life is about the up and the down. Death is about the absolute end of all things. Order is about keeping a balance between Life and Death. Together, they make for Mortality.'_

\- _Line 7, Page 219, Book III: Dagbesluit, Order de Goden_

* * *

 _Stilte_

* * *

Gregory sauntered quietly through the park to the trading house, little concern given to stealth or discretion. While it did worry Kodi, the fact there was no one around and it was well past midnight, helped ease her fear though every step she took was still taken with caution. Better safer then not in her mind.

"Almost there." he said as he brushed his hand against a planter filled with lilies, "Ah, lilies. It is no tulip, but just as beautiful."

Kodi kept silent, not knowing how what to comment with.

"Kodi, before I lead you in, I have to ask you something."

"Yes Gregory?"

The buizel stopped and turned to her, a look of delight on his face- one that belayed the tone of his voice.

"I know I said there was one condition for you if I were to lead you inside but I am sorry to reveal that I have a second condition." he took a quiet breath and pointed up high, to the upper floors of the large building. "I also want something within this building. You will help me acquire it."

Kodi put a hand to chin and raised an eyebrow at him. "Well..." Gregory's smile widened. "What is it that you need?"

That same smile quickly turned into a frown. Kodi eyed his expression and could see the seriousness on his face.

"Something hard to acquire… The Guild of St. Marks is hiding an artifact of the gods- which one, I do not know." he picked a lily from the planter and examined it, "The important thing is that they _have it_. I aim to take it to where it belongs, wherever it belongs- we mortals aren't to trifle with their artifacts."

He walked up to Kodi and placed the lily at the base of her ear-feather, covering the remnants of it.

"Do this and we will be in favor with each other and the gods. Refuse and I shall let you break in yourself."

Kodi reached up and touched the flower, confused, as she stared at him. She wanted to live, even if she knew that death was never far off, she wanted to live as long as she could- the buizel was her only chance. At the same time, she didn't know if stealing more than just alcohol from under the nose of a Guild was a promising idea- she was already in hot water as is and more would melt her. She made a snap decision.

"I'll do it. It would be unfair for you to help me without me returning the favor. Plus, you'd do it yourself anyways at a different time if I didn't help."

Gregory smiled, "That's what I wanted to hear." he turned and began to walk once more, "Follow me closely."

Gregory wasted no time strolling up to the imposing building and walking down a side alley until he came upon a window creased into the ground leading to the basement. He stopped right in front of it and bent down to grab the bottom of the pane.

"Is this safe?" asked Kodi.

The buizel chuckled as he popped the window open with ease.

"Surely you're joking? I wouldn't be going in this way if it wasn't."

The window led into a dark, dusty room- enough that Kodi had to pull up her patchy shirt to keep her from immediately sneezing. The room had only two doors out and was dark as the night sky, she knew Gregory couldn't see in this while she benefits, for once, from being a dark-monster.

She had other things on her mind as she observed the room.

"This place needs some dusting right this instant…" she placed a single claw on the wall and dragged it slightly, watching an obscene amount of dust cling to it, "Uuugghh…"

She pinched her nose with her other hand, pausing her sneeze but eventually let out a few quiet sneezes.

"A sneasel sneezing, how charming." joked Gregory.

Kodi lightly clapped her hand on his shoulder, making him chuckle nervously at how sharp her claws suddenly seemed.

"I kid, I kid." he gently lifted her paw off his shoulder, minding her claws. "It's not as clean as it should be but it fits its function- these rooms are for... storage." said Gregory with some reluctance. He lifted his shirt up like Kodi's. "Now… I don't want to be a bother but… I can't see so guide me to the door if you may."

A light bang emphasized the problem he was facing in the dark room. Kodi dashed over and helped the poor Buizel to his feet, asking if he was okay.

"I'm fine… I'm fine." he said, rubbing his snout. "Just a light bang is all."

Holding his hand, she guided him to the nearest door and tried it, only to find it locked. Heading over to the other door, she found it was also locked. She whipped around with worried eyes and gave him an anxious squeak.

"Eee…"

"Well, it seems they've learned to actually keep people out this time." he let out a light chuckle and grinned. "Getting smarter by the week."

"This… time…?" questioned Kodi.

"Yes, this time. This trading house has been broken into many times in the past through that same window. It's not exactly a well-kept secret." he gestured to the window they came through, letting in soft moonlight as well as light from a streetlamp, "Kids come in all the time."

He laughed.

"If you ever have children, teach them that breaking into a building is wrong."

Kodi nodded, "I promise."

"Good, good… now to get the door open." he looked around and sighed. "If only I could see. I bet I could find a passable lock-pick in this room."

"Well…" Kodi's ears drooped as she looked to the doors, then to the floor, and finally to the lock of the closer door.

"I can lockpick the door." she offered.

"Really?" she nodded, "Then why wait? Go on."

She raised an eyebrow, "You don't care?"

"Why should I care what your skilled in? We've already committed burglary by coming in through the window. Lockpicking will hardly be the worst you'll be doing tonight."

Kodi slowly nodded and walked up to the door. She bent down to get a good eye on the lock, peeking through it as she stuck in one of her claws, slowly jimmying the pistons within the lock into position. In short notice, the lock snapped open with a soft click, telling the two that her attempt was a success.

"Well, that was fast. It's a wonder sneasel are known as good robbers." he noticed her disgusted look. "Sorry, I guess it's not something to say aloud." he pushed past her and opened the door slowly. "Let me go first."

He casually stepped through the doorway and after a moment, the door flung open to reveal a short hallway, a few doors on each side, and a stairway at the end- all illuminated by dim kerosene lamps along the walls.

"No guards?" Kodi asked as she stepped into the hall. "I… expected at least a few."

Gregory laughed and quietly shut the door behind her, making her jump at the click as she thought someone was leaving another room.

"Why would there be guards down here? These are storerooms- they have no need to be down here. Only the entries need them since the way to the window is _supposed_ to be locked." he paused mid-way down the hall. "If I may ask before we continue, when does a servant learn the trade of lockpicking?"

Kodi looked down in shame, her ears flattened against her head in pure embarrassment.

"I…" she put one of her claws in her mouth and nibbled on it for comfort. "I was a thief… I was caught not too long after I started and sentenced to servitude for life..." she focused on one of the gaps in the floorboards, seeing it far more interesting than Gregory's hazel eyes. "I was ten when I was sentenced."

"So that's it, hmm?" he said as he folded his arms. "Why steal?"

"I was hungry and alone." she finally looked up at the pious Buizel, "Not much work I could do as a ten-year-old either besides field-work but they wouldn't hire a dark-monster in my hometown."

Gregory stepped past her and shook his head, giving her clicks of his tongue in disapproval.

"The Church is always open to help the needy- children included. You should've known that as a child, to the very least."

Kodi finally looked up at him, giving a full view of her red eyes, which glowed slightly in the dimly lit hallway.

"Why go to the very places that tell you, your kind of monster are the reason for nightmares? For death?"

Gregory paused in thought and instinctively placed his hand on the charm around his neck, thumbing it carefully as he pondered her statement.

"Den Tod and den Alptraum…" whispered Gregory when he finally looked down at his charm.

Kodi nodded with a sigh, "I had no choice but to fend for myself when the fey-monster in charge of the church in my hometown told me that until I atoned for the sins of den Tod, I could never receive any kindness from him. And to atone…" she put a hand to her heart.

"He said I'd have to kill myself to do that." she clenched her hands tightly and sighed. "I stole a little food and ran. I went south and entered Ruarktschland- I thought I was free but stealing down there is far riskier. With the amount of dark monsters already down there, it wasn't hard for me to be caught. They know how to catch my kind specially."

Gregory could only stare at her before shaking his head and turning away.

"Sometimes, I wonder…" he mumbled to himself before turning back to her. "I'm truly sorry for what that priest had done to you in the past. He may be with some reason but not the right one and that is no excuse to deny a child food."

Kodi sighed and hugged herself. "It's fine. I don't need kindness now- it wouldn't be for much anymore considering we dark-monster are undesirables now... and forever." she looked away, ears flat to her head.

"And as you said… not without reason." she leaned against the wall and covered her face. "I mean, I'm reduced to committing crimes again just to live to the next month. I'm just proving why my kind deserves all this…"

Gregory walked up next to her and tapped on the wall lightly.

"Stay optimistic Kodi, you live longer if you keep your mind in the right place," he smiled. "Like how we're committing crimes together- you're not alone."

Kodi walked up to him with a mixed expression on her face, her eyes averting his gaze. He grinned and ruffled the fur atop her head.

"Hey!"

"Smile Kodi, I can see the good within you. I can't speak for all other dark monsters but I know this whole Exile situation is absurd." he put one hand on her chest and another on a doorknob beside him, "So don't worry too much, things may change. Maybe with a bit of prayer, things will get better."

She smiled and nodded. "If you say so… _holy_ _man_."

Gregory laughed. "Okay, _servant_ _girl_."

He opened the door he's holding onto, revealing a dark, empty room- much to Kodi's confusion.

"Go in there, please. Trust me."

She shook away concerns over whether Gregory was insane or that his mind was in a separate plane of reality and entered the room to see it filled with furniture, some pieces covered with white drapery. Gregory came in behind her and shut the door.

"So why did we need to come inside this empty room?" she asked her guide.

"To get to the next floor." he stated to her, looking carefully at the ceiling, walking between the furniture with a light step. "There's a trapdoor to the bar here."

"What? Why are we going through that?"

Gregory gave her a confident smirk. "You thought we were just going waltz through the door to the lobby? Didn't I say that the guards were there?"

Kodi gave a nervous cough. "Oh… yeah."

"Besides, through the bar is the cooling cellar for all the drinks. Might as well get to our goal quickly."

Gregory continued to search, moving out of sight from Kodi. She decided to take the time to peek at some of the furniture. Moving one of the sheets out of the way, she found herself gazing at a lavish sofa with light brown padding and a gold accented frame.

"This is an expensive sofa… at least seven thousand Marks." she commented as she examined it. "It belongs in a manor… what is it doing down here, earning dust instead?"

"From what I know, this furniture was supposed to be…" Gregory started to climb a cabinet. _"Hah…_ delivered to the port city of Vuurbaken for a high up trader. Caravan… hah… never arrived."

Kodi covered the sofa with the sheet once more. She started to look over a dressing-table, checking herself out in its mirror, "Why?"

"No one… aarrrr…" he grunted as he climbed atop the large cabinet. Once there he took a breath and continued.

"No one knows why honestly. I heard it's why the Guild of St. Marks sent a group to investigate."

Kodi raised an eyebrow, "A Guild actually fulfilling its purpose?"

"I know. A scary thought, isn't it?" he joked. He let a chuckle escape before reaching up and touching the ceiling above him. It moved slightly when he pushed. "Ah! I knew I remember where it was."

"Are you sure this is okay? What if there's still a crowd?" she questioned as she walked up to the large cabinet, noticing it was filled with fine cutlery and wares. "This looks even more expensive then that sofa and you just… climbed it?"

Gregory grinned, "First, this is fine. Second, there's a reason we came in the early hours of the morning. And third, no damage done, no harm afoul, nothing wrong."

Kodi sighed and hesitantly climbed the cabinet, careful not to let her claws make any heavy-handed markings or scrapes. Taking her time, and looking only at Gregory, she made to the top to see that Gregory had already opened the trapdoor and halfway done climbing up into the bar.

"Clear up here," he said as he scrambled to bring his foot up to the edge of the hole, managing to only just bring it there and climb up with significant effort. "…come on up."

Kodi climbed into the bar with ease that Gregory wished he had- the advantages of being a sneasel she told herself and Gregory.

"Yes, yes… you sneasel were always the best at getting around. The few I knew, I mean." he replied.

"You knew a few?" she asked as they walked behind the bar, taking in the elegant style of the bar. "Why didn't you say so before?"

"Because it wasn't the most important of things to say when we first met- I was trying to cheer you up first, and help you second." he shrugged. "Plus, you didn't ask."

Kodi huffed, "A… I…" she sighed and looked away. "You know, it's not worth it. Forget it."

"That's the spirit!" he said as he hopped up onto the bar and slide over to the other side, only to fall over and plant his face firmly on the floor.

Kodi walked around the bar, through the opening for the bartender to see him weakly pull himself off the ground. She barely held back laughter as she helped him up.

"Aaaaggghh… oh… the gods don't like it when you fool around…" he moaned.

"That's why you don't try to act like an acrobat when you aren't. You struggled to climb a cabinet and into the bar- hopping a counter isn't for you." she chided as she dusted him off.

"You act more like an angry mother more than a servant." he noted as he picked himself off the ground.

"One of my more prominent duties was tending to the Masters children and grandchildren when _they_ got children."

Gregory gave a shocked look. " _Their_ children? How old are you?"

She folded her arms in annoyance from him questioning her in such a fashion.

"I'm twenty-two years of age." she said with a slight snarl, angry he thought she was old, "It was more the fact that Master was eighty and his children went from fifteen to fifty."

"Alright, settle down! Honest mistake…" he watched her let out a icy breath. "You sound like you're used to children running amok. Must have been quite hectic lifestyle being a servant- do you miss it?" he asked as he walked around her and pulled away a short rug to reveal another trapdoor.

Kodi walked beside him and watched him struggle to unlock the padlock, she gently stopped him and quickly opened it up with few flicks of her claw.

"I…" she bit into her other claw and frowned, her ears falling in tune with her mouth. "I was content to stay a servant for the rest of my life to be honest, even if I may not have had say in whether I became one."

"Sounds like it was a time you miss." he pulled at the handle to open the trapdoor and gently laid it on the ground in front of him, "If you had the chance, would you go back?"

"If the exile where to cease and the manor I was working in weren't a burnt husk along with my Master? Sure."

"Even if, by law, you couldn't have a child- being a servant of criminal sentence- you would still stay?"

Kodi paused and held a look of thought for the moment before closing her eyes and nodding.

"Yes." she grinned. "And follow the law? The same laws sending me to frozen wastes up north?" Gregory stood stiff while she scoffed. "Besides, you know my kind," she waved a hand around. "we tend to break rules if its in the way and cause chaos where we go."

"Yes, it's well known… even if it exaggerated in my eyes." he started to climb the ladder down into the liquor cellar.

Kodi grinned. "At least you think differently."

He looked up at her, "So far, yes. Coming down?"

"Oh yes, don't wait for me."

Gregory went down the ladder first before Kodi followed behind, careful not to fall off. As she went down, rung by rung, the Buizel watched her cling hard to the ladder as if it were her only lifeline in the world.

"Are you… scared of heights?" he inquired.

The sneasel looked down and immediately squeaked, closing her eyes at the sight of the rather mediocre drop, which to her was immense.

"Yes… yes I am…" she whimpered.

"Take it slow. We're in no rush…" he paused when he heard wood creaking above them, coming from the floor above the bar. "On second thought, I guess we are in a sort dangerous position. Please hurry."

Kodi continued down, making it down to the cellar floor with tears running down her face. Gregory made a silent promise to find the stairs out of the cellar to avoid her breaking down on him- though he's surprised she hasn't broken down generally from what he's learnt so far about her.

Once she hit the floor, she immediately grabbed onto the pious buizel, in need of comfort.

"It's okay Kodi… da Woeden has you…" he paused as she started to purr, making him blush, "A-as d-d-does G-Gregory."

After a short silent moment of soft purring, she realized what she was doing and quickly let go of him, dusting herself off and apologizing profusely, to which he gave her a curt. "No need for that."

Gregory climbed back up and quietly shut the trapdoor as the footsteps above them grew louder. Once done, they began to search the cellar.

"Where do they keep barrels of liquor?" she said as they began to search the cellar for barrels of liquor.

Gregory chuckled and pointed to a nearby row of shelfs, "Well, in here."

Rounding the corner yielded him the sight of their, really Kodi's, goal. Sitting on the ground were a few large barrels of ales as well as a few small one they could carry in their arms.

"Wow, a lucky guess from me." he walked over and opened one of the barrels, taking a whiff. He coughed hard.

"Oh, das Leben… this is strong ale…"

Kodi walked over to take a whiff herself but Gregory slammed the lid down before she could get close.

"No, no. Don't want you drunk- servants don't get drunk."

Kodi stood there with a frown, making Gregory think he said the wrong thing but his worry faded when she suddenly smiled and laughed.

"Well yes, but I'm sure one whiff will not get me on the floor or in a bed." she joked.

Kodi opened the same barrel and took the whiff. She reeled and coughed, a slight blush forming on her face.

"Woo… stuffs… strong. The soldiers 'll like this." Kodi leaned back against the near wall at the end of small corridor, "Though, I can't bring it 'lone."

"From what I know, they use trolleys to bring them inside. Let me find one, you stay here…" he leaned into her, serious look in his eyes.

"Don't get drunk."

"I'm not 'n alcoholic."

Gregory sighed and rested a hand on his forehead, "No, but I can tell from your slurring you never drank any ales ever in your life. Try not opening any others, lest I carry you back as well."

Kodi gave him a firm nod and watched the buizel leave in search of a trolley. As he did, her curiosity on what the ale tasted grew by the minute, the whiff she got having excited her.

A small sip, she thought to herself as she went to pry open the barrel.

The sound of a door opening with a loud bang made her jump back and onto the floor in shock. She could hear the heavy scuffling of whoever ran in down a flight of stairs on the far side of the cellar.

"You sure someone's down here? Just because the rug was moved doesn't mean someone's down here." she heard someone say. From how loud they were, they weren't far from her. She hoped Gregory was alright.

"No one's been in the bar since last call. I was patrolling. Ten minutes ago, that rug was where it should be- now? It's been moved." Two distinct voices, two guards Kodi told herself.

As they walked closer, Kodi scurried behind the barrels in a desperate bid at hiding herself. The shabby clothing the buizel had given her wasn't the darkest but came with a hood for times like this. The hood covered her stump of a feather on her head but, on the other hand, her bright red tail feathers poked out of her pants, a dead giveaway. She had no time to remove them as the footsteps grew closer and closer. She could only sit there, hoping the guards don't spot her.

"You sure it's not Cas? Damn gengar won't stop playing around and do his job guarding the place." the second guard asked.

"First person I asked." the first guard replied.

Their boots grew louder with every step. It was only a matter of time until they came upon the row she was in and spotted her feeble attempt at hiding.

"What excuse he gave you this time?"

"A long tale about how he stood in the spot assigned up to that point." the first said with a snarl, unamused by his coworkers lies, "The water on his face told me he had taken a trip to the restroom not too long before I came."

"Lying monsters those ghosts." the second guard stepped into her sight, revealing a fraxure. The sight made Kodi tremble at the mere thought of holding off a dragon monster.

The first guard chuckled and stepped up next to the fraxure, revealing a drilbur, "Yeah, the whole lot of them. At least when dark monsters lie, there's _some_ truth to it attached to an elaborate story. Ghosts just lie an' lie."

Kodi can see the fraxure and drilbur wearing clean, well cut uniforms with holsters for a dagger and pistol. Adding to this was the fact the fraxure had a shotgun in his hands.

"Nothing riles me up more than shitty lies. Must be why Cas thinks he's funny." the fraxure growled, walking out of Kodi's view.

"Keeping moving drilbur… you don't see me…" Kodi quietly thought to herself as she watched the drilbur look down the row opposite her before turning in her direction.

The sneasel held her breath out of partial fear, partial instinct, working on the logic that if she made herself smaller, she wouldn't be seen by the mole.

"Hmm…" Kodi could hear him humming to himself as he squinted. She knew it would be seconds before she would be caught.

She knew it was too late for her.

She was ready to put up a fight when a massive crash rang out from the far corner of the cellar, the sound of bottles breaking and fluids splashing out everywhere permeating the silence with ease.

"Fuck me! Did a fucking drunk stumble in here?!" the fraxure yelled as he shoved past his partner. The drilbur lingered there, squinting for a moment longer, before hesitantly walking towards the crash.

Kodi let out a sigh of relief only to tense up when she came to realize there was only one other person in the cellar.

"Gregory… what'd you do for me?"

Minutes passed and she could only, even with her fine ears, hear quiet mumbling in the far side corner of the cellar. Soon, she watched the two guards walk up the stairs with no one in tow and shut the door, leaving her sitting in total darkness.

"Ah Kodi, you aren't drunk."

The cat looked up to see Gregory, his clothes dripping liquor in a few spots but he was not worse for wear himself. In his hands was a small trolley, large enough to carry three barrels.

"Gregory? You're not hurt!?" she said as she stood up and walked over to him. "And how did you get here so fast?"

The buizel smiled and grabbed a bottle from the rack next to him and presented it to her.

"Hit something heavy in the right place, say, a large rack of alcohol, and it all comes crashing down. I didn't need to be there to do it." he then sighed. "Sadly, the trolley happened to be where I made that crash so please, mind the smell."

He walked over to the barrels and took of his coat, showing off his bare upper body. Kodi couldn't help but blush at the sight, the sight of a naked monster incredibly rare for her.

Gregory turned around, unamused. "Stare any longer and you'll turn from dark blue to bright red. Help me get these onto the trolley please."

Kodi scrambled over, whispering a few nervous apologies, and helped the otter whisk three barrels onto the trolley. Once done, the buizel pushed the trolley towards the stairs, to the confusion of the sneasel.

"Where you going?" she inquired.

Gregory didn't answer her. He walked to the row just before the stairs and walked down it, ending up at a door. He opened it up to reveal a dumbwaiter and pulled on a rope to the side to bring down the platform.

Kodi looked away, thinking about how her life ended up at this point when a grunt from Gregory pulled her away from her thought process.

"He... urr... help me lift it in please?" the buizel grunted out, a barrel in his hands.

Kodi rushed over quickly and helped the struggling buizel lift the barrels in.

* * *

Kodi and Gregory brought the trolley into the room they entered the building, the window still open and letting in a soft breeze, which Kodi enjoyed compared to the stale air the building held.

"Okay, we have what you need." Gregory told her as he left the trolley in the corner. "Now for what I came for."

"Well, do you know where it is?" the sneasel asked, cautiously keeping her ears up to listen for the guards when she heard footsteps above them. After a few seconds of waiting, when she was sure it was clear, she continued. "And what it looks like?"

Gregory walked about the barely lit room, thanks to Kodi leaving the door open, searching through each dresser until he found an acceptable shirt, one that fit him lightly.

"It is an orb and shines brightly in the darkness." he started to put it on. "Of what god's artifact it is, I do not know- many of them use orbs of varying shapes and sizes as a vector for their power in the mortal plane."

"Mortal plane?" Kodi asked, already confused by the prospect of the gods.

Gregory chuckled as he pat down the shirt to sit properly, "One concept of many within the religious community- there are a few others but it's the accepted one. To give a short answer, it is believed the gods live in their own plane of existence. Such as the Voidlands for den Tod and the Wereld van Niets for De Niemand."

"Wereld van Niets...? De Niemand?" she tilted her head. "I've never heard Kitch like that before."

"Well, your Kitch is quite good right now." he pointed out.

Kodi scoffed. "I told you, I was born in this kingdom. I ultimately ended up in Letz by my own two feet when I was young."

"Oh yes, you did say something like that." he scratched his head. "Quick lesson: Wereld van Niets, _Nothing World."_ Kodi nodded- she still understood high common despite being used to speaking Kitch and Ruarktsche. "De Niemand is the name for _God of Nothing_ in Kitch. I forget what he is truly called in high common so a translation is best."

"Better than nothing." admitted Kodi. She then nodded. "Thank you Gregory."

"Anytime Kodi." he stretched his arms and back. As he did, he spoke with a strain. "Well, let's... get..." he stopped stretching. "Ahh... let's get going, shall we?"

He walked past the cat and out the door into the dimly lit hallway once more. She followed right behind to the stairs and when he started up, she stayed in place. He easily noticed the lack of footsteps and turned around to see her standing there, a nervous look on her face.

"Something wrong Kodi?"

Kodi bit into one of her claws nervously, chewing on it as she talked, "W-well… you did say there was guards and I'm fine with getting past them… but I'm not a fighter. I was never taught more than basic things. What if we get into one?"

"How do you not have any skill in fighting? You're a sneasel, den Tod, sorry admitting for this, gifted your kind vicious power. You must feel it occasionally, don't you?" he inferred.

Kodi fidgeted in place, "Time to time… but I never know what to do exactly… I always just get these feelings I _have_ to hurt or kill someone, or run away…"

"More than enough. It'll come to you when we do fight, though I hope we do not start one. And we best hope they don't have firearms- that would awaken the entire town."

Kodi silently nodded to him and raced up the stairs, falling in behind him. Once at the door, the buizel bent down and looked through the keyhole.

"Empty. It seems what I did in the cellar has gotten the attention of all the guards on this floor." he opened the door and walked out. "Let's hope the next floor is lightly guarded."

Gregory and Kodi silently crept through the large foyer to the stairs in the center. Walking up to the next floor was without incident.

Kodi and Gregory swept through each room thoroughly as possible. Most of the rooms on the second floor were offices and trading rooms. None of them held what they were looking for. In one of the offices, Kodi found a dagger sitting on the desk.

"A dagger…" she said, picking it up. She did a few practice chops, muscle memory from cooking, and found it light enough for her to use. "I'll take it."

Walking out, she found Gregory waiting with his hand outstretched. She gave up the blade with a sigh.

"It fits you well," Gregory said as he weighed the sharp weapon in his hand. "though I'm keen to why a dark-monster known for…" he paused when he remembered her words earlier. "Ah yes, you don't know how to battle in proper. Weapons make it easier."

Kodi nodded. "It was something no one would miss. Better to be armed than unarmed."

"A leading philosophy in these trying times," Gregory gave back the dagger and walked down the hallway to the stairwell at the end. "I fear monster of this age will forget their heritage as beasts of the wild in the drive to advance society."

"What do you mean?" the tone of voice curious as the many times she asked before.

Gregory waved his hand to her, not bothering to turn around. "Rambling like I always do." he told her. He paused when he came to the stairs and finally turned to her.

"I presume the next floor has guards. Be on your guard."

His warning was not without merit. Once the two went up the stairs, they quickly hid in a hallway closet, avoiding a pair patrolling of minccino. The two heard their conversation as they passed the closet. Unfortunately for Kodi, it was entirely in a language she never heard before.

" _Avez-vous entendu ce qui s'est passé là-bas?"_ the female minccino said to her male counterpart.

They could hear the male scoff, _"Soit Castor pense que c'est vraiment drôle ou un vrai saoul est venu à l'intérieur. J'ai dit au patron de fermer cette fenêtre il y a si longtemps!"_

The female laughed softly and loudly shifted something, likely the small sword at her hilt.

" _Eh bien, vous savez que le patron est un vieux monstre avare. Il n'abandonnerait jamais l'argent à moins d'en avoir besoin, mais maintenant qu'il a perdu une tablette de rhum..._ _"_

They heard the pair walk through a door and close, cutting off the rest of their words and signaling to the duo it was clear to leave the closet.

"Well that was close." Gregory whispered to Kodi. He spied the look of confusion on her face, becoming rather used to it by this point, "I assume you have little knowledge of Kurivois?"

"No, not that much." she sadly admitted.

"Its fine if you don't know though I recommend learning more. You never know when you might end up in Kurin."

They continued to search carefully, knowing well the two guards may come back around on patrol. This floor, the third floor, was mostly auction rooms. Each one was filled with chairs, pottery, and paintings but little else.

As they tried to head for the fourth floor, to their dismay, the two guards were resting right beside the stairwell on a bench. They were too far to hear but Kodi could see they were talking to each other- she even spied the two kiss.

"They're mates?"

"Not uncommon to find those of the same species to find love in each other. You might find likewise in your peers if you're luc…" Gregory chuckled nervously when Kodi glaring at him. "-if you find any in the future."

He smiled when he looked back into the auction room they were hiding in, spotting the decorative pottery placed about amongst the plinths in the room. "I feel I have a way past them. Pick a corner and hide. When they come, knock them out."

Kodi raced to one of the dark corners of the auction room. She watched Gregory tap a vase sitting on a pedestal, letting fall off and land in a loud crash, leaving it completely broken on the floor. He raced to the opposite corner from Kodi and waited.

The two minccino raced into the room. The female one walked up to the broken remains of the pot and picked up a piece.

"Castor, etais-tu encore!?" she called out.

The male minccino leaned against the wall with a hand at the hilt of his sword, only s mere metre from Kodi. She watched her buizel partner step out and laugh, making the two guards jump.

"Pas cette fois." he calmly said as he grabbed her by the head and slammed her face first into the pedestal, knocking her out instantly.

"Jeanne!" the male minccino jumped off the wall and pulled out his sword, "Jij bastaard!"

Kodi choose to use this moment to tackle him to the ground. The sword flew out of his hands and harmlessly clattered to the floor. The minccino struggled with her for a moment before getting an upper hand and flipped her over.

"Un noir! Je vais te tuer d'abord, puis cette loutre!" he shouted, before punching her in the face with all his might over and over.

Gregory ran over and kicked the minccino off the stunned sneasel. Before the minccino could get up, Gregory grabbed his sword and held it to his neck.

"La reddition ou ton petit amour n'aura plus personne à aimer." he calmly threatened.

The minccino glared at the buizel, pausing to glance at his partner a few times. With a sigh, he lowered his back to the ground and closed his eyes, knowing what came next. As he expected, a hard knock came to his head, knocking him out with a "Ggh..." Satisfied the two guards were not getting up anytime soon, he tended to his injured partner.

"I knew you weren't inclined to fighting but that was rather… pathetic." he pulled her up into a sitting position. He winced when he saw how injured she was- there were bruises all over her face, with a few cuts interspersed between them.

"Now I see why that dagger is needed."

Kodi rubbed her cheeks, both aching in pain as blood seeped out of her mouth and a few cuts just above her noise. It was enough for tears to form but she fought back the urge to cry- she knew it wasn't the time to cry.

"I…" she coughed a few times. "I'm fine. Let's go."

Kodi stood up, almost falling over but caught the wall before she could. Gregory put a hand on her shoulder.

"Are you sure you're fine?" he pat one of his pockets. She didn't know what it meant but she assumed he had medicine on him. "We can stop for a moment and I'll give you something to help out with the pain."

Kodi shook her head, wiping the blood from the corner of her mouth. "No. Let's just finish this before the night ends. I'll… I'll heal."

Gregory chuckled and walked out of the room, giving her a moment to gather herself. He left her with a simple, "If that's what you wish."

* * *

The fourth floor and fifth floors held little for the two but rooms full of sleeping tradesmen, guards, and members of the St. Mark's Guild. Every room they checked, they did so as silently as possible and while most held more money than either of them could dream of, they took none- it wasn't what they were looking for and there was no need to steal more than what was needed so far. They also found a variety of weapons, from mere daggers and pistols to elaborate rifles and longswords, something that made Kodi's fur puff out in fear.

"I'm happy they're all asleep." whispered Kodi anxiously as she stepped out of another bedroom. "I'd be nothing but a fur rug at this point."

"There's that unique brand of optimism there." said Gregory as he peeped into a different bedroom before shutting the door, finding no sign of what he was looking for. "This is taking far too long. We're only halfway through the fifth floor and its…"

"Fifty past two." Kodi answered, glancing at a nearby clock on the wall- too dark for the buizel to properly make out.

Gregory sighed and put a hand to his mouth, thinking hard on what move to make next.

"Either we keep doing it this way or we just head to the top floor. Knowing how this Guild works, they like to keep what they have as secure as possible."

"Why didn't we try that before?" inquired Kodi, folding her arms in irritation. "Is all the guards we've knocked out so far was for no reason?"

"Makes for an easy escape." the growl Kodi gave at this made him add more to this. "Okay, okay! I wasn't sure if it was at the top or not. Might as well be thorough." he shook his head and dropped the hand away from his mouth. "Shall we check the top floor now and come back if we find nothing?"

"Let's do that." offered Kodi.

"Then follow closely." ordered Gregory.

* * *

Peeking through the keyhole of the door that hid the stairwell, Gregory could see the seventh floor had only three bedrooms, one of them reserved for whoever ran the trading house, another for main trader in Dierman. The last bedroom was reserved for those who could afford to rent it, being the most luxurious accommodation for at least a days travel in every direction.

"Seems the Guild is leasing it." Gregory said, observing the guards in front of the door. All of them were at attention and they heard no attempt at idle conversation.

"They seem really tough…" whispered a nervous Kodi when she looked the keyhole herself.

"They left two veteran guild teams to guard it. I guess what we were looking for _is_ in there and we won't be leaving in one piece unless we plan well."

Gregory hummed in thought at how to slip past as Kodi continued to stare through the keyhole. The cat noticed the guild members were all looking straight at her, as if they knew they were standing there.

Waiting for them to open the door.

She then paid attention to what kind of monsters the guild members were and slowly stepped away from the door when she realized something.

"Gregory…" she took a deep breath, "three of them are fey-monsters. Another two are psy-monsters. I have a feeling…"

The door unlocked and slowly opened with a squeak, revealing the two to the eight guild-affiliated monsters at the end of the hall.

"They knew." finished Gregory.

"We did. Ever since you stepped into this town, we knew. A dark-monster sticks out like a bug amongst the birds. You appear as nothing but static to the psychics and fey among us." said a rather well dressed mienfoo. Beside him stood a male meowstic, who chuckled at the analogy.

"You sure love making these things up, don't you Striker?" his chiding tone giving away how superior he thought he was.

That was until the mienfoo punched him straight in the mouth.

"Keep your mouth shut Kasper." he demanded.

Gregory laughed and gave them his usual warm smile. "Now, this isn't the time to play with each other. While I would ask you all to move, I know well you all aren't moving."

"Smart buizel." Striker said as he made a few steps forward. "No, I think I'll move on my own and that's only because I want to cut that cat with you into little pieces, like any dark-monster should be."

Kodi eyes widened and she slowly slipped behind Gregory in fear. Most of the guild members laughed at the sight, including a dedenne saying. "How cute- you think the dark-loving buizel is going to save you?" tauntingly.

A wave of the mienfoo's hand and they stopped laughing.

"Step out of the way buizel and let me kill that cat and I _might_ let you leave on your own two legs instead of a guard wagon." offered Striker.

Gregory contemplated only for a moment before shaking his head with a laugh.

"No, we made a promise to each other. I can't break that- a man of the gods should never break a promise."

A noivern scoffed. "Gods? They do nothing for us and yet you follow them?" he put a wing to his mouth and chuckled. "What a fool you are. Jag är ledsen för din skull."

The comment slid off the buizel with little effect while Kodi eyes went wide- she had no clue what language that dragon just spoke. Even more, to the shock of the guild associates, he got in a fighting stance, replicated by Striker.

"If you want to get sliced in two as well, then that shall be."

Striker jumped forward, intending to strike the buizel and pierce him straight through with his sword. He quickly pulled it out in mid-air but before he could land, a powerful blast of water pushed him back, knocking him to the ground. Kasper attacked at the same time, trying to support him but the buizel knew better. He timed his attack and ended it so, only to rush out and slam the meowstic back towards their subordinates.

The mienfoo wiped water from his mouth, as did the meowstic. Striker stood up and shook himself of some of the water that clung to his fur while Kasper looked at his in horror. "No skill in swords but well skilled in your powers. You're a different breed I see… using skills that are somewhat behind the times- such an odd thing."

"I like to think that I blend today and yesterday well." Gregory shot back. He dropped back into his stance, as did Striker.

"Are you all just going to stand there?" Striker yelled to his subordinates. "Keep that buizel busy. I have vermin to get rid of."

Gregory tried to strike at the mienfoo before he could make a move but a quick Spark from the dedenne forced him to go on the defensive.

"Watch for yourself!" the buizel warned Kodi as he continued to dodge attacks, attacking in-between as best he could.

Kodi stepped forward to intervene but the mienfoo quickly dashed up to her, surprising her with his speed and catching her off guard. He was ready to cut her down when she dodged back, the tip of the sword missing her by a mere centimeter.

"Hmph." he snorted, readying the sword for a piercing blow. Kodi dodged it as well, "You're persistent. I hate that."

He continued to strike at the cat, slashing back and forth in step. He gave her little time to counter or dodge but thanks to her instincts, she kept herself whole, if only by a tiny distance. She could see out of the corner of her eye that Gregory was fending off the other seven guild members, only barely standing thanks to the onslaught he was receiving, but standing all the while.

She knew she had to do something to help him. So, when Striker went to go for a piercing stab once more, she took her chance. Clasping her dagger, she took a swipe at him, sidestepping the sword as best she could, this time going at it instead of away from it- she knew this was dangerous. All Striker could do is watch her come closer and closer, dagger in hand- already fully into his attack with no time to pull back.

The two of them did not go without injury.

Kodi cried in pain as she fell to the floor, a large visible gash going through her shirt to her side of her chest, revealing bare fur around a large cut from the sword. Blood ran out of the wound into a small pool on the floor below, staining her fur and clothes in the process.

"Kodi!" Gregory yelled in worry, only to get knocked away by a marill's Aqua Tail. He landed and rolled to move out from the swing of a bastard sword. "Damn you all!"

"Damn yourself!" the owner of the blade, a grumpig, shouted. He took another swipe while the marill attacked once more.

Gregory could only dodge one of the attacks. He took the beam of water directly and was pushed farther from Kodi. Facing six to one odds, he knew it was almost impossible for him to get over to his partner in time.

She had no strength to pull herself up off the floor to see what she had done to Striker. All she could do is moan as she tried to pick herself up, "Gah… _ah…"_

The mienfoo had also fallen to the floor in agony, Kodi's dagger strike meeting its mark as his sword did to her. A deep cut marred the left side of his face, running from his cheek to below his ear. It too, seeped blood, but not at the rate Kodi was losing. Sitting up, he could see the damage he did to her but he was not happy- she had managed to cut him, and worse, left a _mark_.

He was irate.

Striker wiped blood away from the deep cut she gave him, unfazed by the stinging pain. He roared in anger, making Gregory, Kodi and his own subordinates flinch in shock. He stood up, picked his longsword off the ground, and pointed it at Kodi, who was starting to feel cold- colder than she normally felt.

"Ket, ty mertv."

* * *

End Chapter 5

* * *

Please remember to leave a review, I encourage all form of critique

\- CyanSparki

* * *

 **Linguistic Library**

* * *

 _- **Kitch** -_

 _das Leben – The Life: A nickname for Xerneas, God of Life_  
 _den Tod – The Death: A nickname for Yveltal, God of Death_  
 _den Alptraum – The Nightmare: A nickname for Darkrai, God of Nightmares_  
 _dronken – drunk_  
 _vuurwapens – firearms_  
 _mensen – people/monsters_  
 _jij - you_  
 _bastaard - bastard_

 _- **Kurivois** \- the language of Kurin._

 _Dialogue:_

 _Avez-vous entendu ce qui s'est passé là-bas?_ _-|- Did you hear what happened downstairs?_

 _Soit Castor pense que c'est vraiment drôle ou un vrai saoul est venu à l'intérieur. J'ai dit au patron de fermer cette fenêtre il y a si longtemps!_ _-|- Either Castor thinks he's really funny or an actual drunk got inside. I told the boss to get that window shut so long ago!_

 _Eh bien, vous savez que le patron est un vieux monstre avare. Il n'abandonnerait jamais l'argent à moins d'en avoir besoin, mais maintenant qu'il a perdu une tablette de rhum..._ _-|-_ _Well, you know the boss is an old miserly monster. He would never give up money unless he needed it, but now that he has lost a shelf of rum..._

 _Castor, etais-tu encore!? -|- Castor, was that you again?_

 _Pas cette fois._ _-|- Not this time._

 _Un noir! Je vais te tuer d'abord, puis cette loutre!_ _-|- A dark one!? I'll kill you first, then this otter!_

 _La reddition ou ton petit amour n'aura plus personne à aimer._ _-|- Surrender or your little love will no longer have anyone to love._

 _- **?** -_

 _Jag är ledsen för din skull. -|- I feel sorry for you._

 _Ket, ty mertv. – Cat. You're dead._


	6. Spijt

_Chapter 6_

* * *

" _Success and failure go hand in hand. No monster in this world succeeds without failure and measure of regret.  
I have made many failures on the battlefield but yet I have the most successful military of all in Ruarktschland. My only regret is not uniting it under my banner alone this time around."_

 _\- Duke of Luhnstedt, Joël Drechsler, 1509 C.R_

* * *

 _Spijt_

* * *

Kodi found herself staring at the sword's long, sharp edge as it came down on her. With so little strength, she knew she had no chance to dodge the hit. She closed her eyes and awaited her death.

 _CLANG!_

"Wha-what is this!?"

Kodi opened her eyes and let out a gasp when she saw a green, translucent shield blocking her off from her assailant. Halfway through the shield, the sword meant to cut her open was now stuck, with the shield closed around it. Striker struggled to pull it out.

"A psy-shield!" he yelled in fury. He turned to his subordinates, still pulling at the sword. "Which one of you thinks treason is funny!?"

"Not any of us sir!" a grumpig in uniform yelled out as he dodged an attack from Gregory only to get a hooked punch to the face.

Striker watched the shield enclose around the sword with such force that it started to crack, then shatter into two pieces. Striker was speechless.

Kodi used the distraction to crawl away from the mad mienfoo before he decided to use his firearm instead. She got only a few metres when she felt a boot clamp down on her back, forcing her into the ground with a cry.

"Where are you going, ket?" she heard the mienfoo growl as he uttered each word, the fury in him clear as it could be. She let out a weak whimper in response, unable to form words in her pain.

Striker pulled his leg up to stomp on her leg to keep her from crawling away when a force pulled at his other leg, making him stumble into the wall behind him. He pushed himself off to finally see his mysterious attacker standing at the end of the hall by the stairs.

"Yeshche odin proklyatyy kot!?" he looked down at Kodi and back up to the one in the doorway, angry and confused. "How many are there in this town?"

"Just that sneasel there, I assure you." the new arrival responded, walking into the light of the hall to reveal a female meowstic wrapped in a dark gray cloak and hood, her ears a dead giveaway to what she was as they poked high out of the hood..

"A female!?" yelled Kasper, shocked by the sight of a female meowstic.

Gregory dodged another spark of electricity from the dedenne while giving an marill a quick jab to the stomach before pausing to see the female meowstic. He chuckled.

"Did it take you long to get here, Karin?" he asked her, dodging an attack from the grumpig.

The meowstic snickered softly, her eyes shifting about from under her hood, the only part of her face visible to all.

"No. The guards who were available all…" she paused and gave a flick of her hands. "agreed to let me through."

The group of guild members knew what she meant- no guards were left able to help them.

"You've taken out a rather poor guard force but veteran members of the St. Mark's Guild are highly unalike." argued Striker as he pulled out a dagger from a pouch on his belt. "Let me show you! Kasper, keep her psy-powers at bay!"

The male meowstic didn't respond with words but did respond mentally, knocking away Karin's attempts to deflect the mienfoo's charge at her. She raised her hands and formed another translucent shield in front of her, blocking a piercing blow from the monster and knocking back his dagger in one swift move.

"An attempt was made." she said before blasting the weasel back with the shield. "A terrible attempt. Try attacking without the anger."

"Kasper, on me!" ordered Striker. He readied his dagger once more, "We'll see if my _attempts_ are just that!"

The meowstic hopped over the injured cat on the floor as she crawled over to the nearest wall. She pulled herself up and sat against the wall, trying to control her rapid breathing as her focus start to shift in and out, the world getting blurrier and clearer every so often. Kodi started to feel somewhat cold and numb as she sat there and the energy she had left started to drain from her.

"P-please hurry y-you two..."

* * *

Gregory slammed into the wall. He moved his head a moment after to dodge two beams of psy-energy from opposing direction. They collided in an explosion of light and dust.

"This is getting out of hand." he said as he ducked under a jet of water. "And annoying."

"Annoying? We'll show you that!" the noivern yelled. He charged up a beam of dragon's breath.

Gregory groaned. His odds were still five to one, with Kasper fighting with Striker instead of him but that barely changed anything. When one was finished attacking him, the next did so. They kept him from doing much at all and it annoyed him to no end.

"Well, if they won't let me attack, then I'll let them attack."

Gregory dodged a few more attacks, waiting for the dragon-bat to finish charging his attack before jumping in and directing it away from its intended target to the sword wielding grumpig nearby.

" _AAAAAAAHHHHHH_!"

The fiery breath scorched the psy-pig, not enough to kill him but injure him greatly. Indeed, the pig fell to the ground, the sword clattering beside him, after the breath was stopped. His skin sat burnt unevenly and the sword was partially melted- the fire was hot indeed.

The noivern gasped in shock at what had occurred. He looked from the burnt grumpig to the otter standing nearby- his fellow guild members having stopped when he roasted their partner.

"Peter!" the noivern charged at the otter, "Din bastard! Hur vågar du!"

Gregory smirked, confusing the dragon-bat until he jumped away. The noivern had no time to dodge the blast of fairy energy from his ribombee partner.

"Oh no!" she shrieked.

"I got him, tend to Wilbert!" the marill ordered.

The ribombee raced over to the dragon and checked up on him. He was unconscious and probably had a concussion but otherwise okay in her eyes.

"He's," she saw her marill associate fly into the wall beside her. "…okay."

She looked around. Only her and that odd ariados were left but… she's a medic, not a fighter. She hurt Wilbert when she didn't mean too and now Vera was hurt too.

"I give, I give!" her surrender came to a shock to the otter but was welcome by him.

"Well, you may leave. Come back say… an two hours from now?"

The ribombee medic nodded and raced away, ducking past the fight just down the hall unseen and down the stairs.

"Mila... es una mujer asustada..."

Gregory's blood ran cold. He didn't realize there was someone left. He looked up and saw an ariados hanging from the ceiling.

"Hola."

"Would it be rude for me to ask you to leave?" the otter knew this was utterly stupid but he had to try. Better than fighting someone he couldn't really hit.

The his relief, the araidos just did a shrug with his front two arms. The action made the otter's fur stand on end but the spider didn't notice.

"Está bien como sea. I'll leave."

The spider crawled away, to Gregory's shock and approval.

"I wish it were that easy, all the time. Maybe I should pray to de Vege more…"

* * *

Karin put up another shield in front of her, blocking another charged punch from the weasel. She tried to hit him with a blast of psy-energy but Kasper put a stop to that, summoning a shield of his own.

Karin huffed. "This is annoying."

"But effective!" shouted Kasper as she charged with Striker, shield still up.

Karin jumped up as Striker slashed at her with his dagger. She managed to just avoid it but not Kasper's shield, which pinned her to the ceiling.

"Hrg!" she grunted as the shield began to squeeze her against the ceiling.

"Got you!"

Kasper tapped Striker on the arm and pointed up.

"What do I do now, sir? Turn her into paste?"

Striker readied his dagger. "No. Just suffocate her but don't kill her. I want the final blow."

Kasper nodded and complied. Karin could feel the shield enclosing around her, tighter and tighter- around her stomach especially. She felt her breath being pushed out of her lungs, breathing growing harder and harder. It made it hard for her to move, let alone concentrate.

Karin managed to just turn over and look down at them. She spotted her way out below them and concentrated, even as the psy-shield, more a bubble of death now, closed in tighter and tighter. Once she felt her mind grasp the object in question, she pulled as hard as she could manage.

"FUCK!" to the shock of the duo, she quite literally, pulled the rug out from underneath them, flinging them to the floor. Kasper lost concentration and the psy-shield faded without his mind holding it up.

Karin fell face first, stopping herself a few centimeters above the ground before she attained a severe injury to the face.

"That… was close…" her gasps for breath left her somewhat speechless but otherwise she was fine.

"I'm going to skin you." snarled Striker as he got on his feet.

Karin climbed to her feet and faced him down. She launched another psy-attack only for a shield to once again, stop it meters before it came near him.

"It didn't work before, it won't work now."

Karin growled and narrowed her eyes at him. She quickly formulated a plan to take him out- if she didn't, she knew she would lose.

"Given up? You shou-"

She fired a direct shot at Striker but purposely missed. The weasel glared at her for interrupting while her rival cat laughed at her miss.

"Hahahaha! Not as well trained as you thought!"

Kasper failed to notice she had picked up a vase right behind him. Striker was too late noticing the large piece of pottery hovering behind him.

"Kas-!"

The vase broke up the cat's head, knocking him out the second it shattered. He crumpled to the ground with little resistance. Blood began seeping out of his wounds, staining his fur, as he laid amongst the hardened clay. Striker could only snarl at the sight.

He snapped back to the cloaked feline standing before him.

"Ty stanesh' moim novym plashchom. Kot." he spat.

"I don't know what gibberish that was but you're next." warned Karin before dashing at the weasel.

Striker deftly dodged her attack, almost sideswiped by her knife. He landed only to get swept of his feet and land on his back, tossing the dagger out of his hand. He rolled out of the way of another vase then jumped up to kick the cloaked feline in the stomach, following up with a punch to her chest. His hit winded her but stopped any following strikes with a shield.

She stood up but winced in pain. Feeling around her stomach, she realized something was wrong.

'…he got a rib. Lucky bastard.' she thought to herself.

"Can't hide behind shields forever." he taunted as he pulled out a six-shot revolver.

Karin knew it would shatter it in a few shots but decided to use it to her advantage. She stood up and gestured to him to try and hit her.

"Well then, break it. I dare you."

"Arrogant, aren't you? You cats, never failing to annoy me." he pulled back the hammer of his revolver, arming it. "It's your death, not mine."

One shot. The shield cracked slightly where the small piece of iron ricocheted off. Karin flinched slightly but kept as calm as she could otherwise.

"You know, I really don't like cats that much but Kasper is the exception."

Two shots. The cracks spread much farther now, reaching halfway to the corners.

"But you? That dead one against the wall? I'll enjoy skinning you both."

Three shots. The cracks were almost to the corners at this point. Karin had to focus. She had to time this right.

"So, let's end this quickly, so I can get right to that."

His fourth shot shattered the shield. He pulled the trigger to fire once more but Karin was quicker. She threw her knife directly at him. Mid-way, she sped it up with psy-energy, forcing it faster then physics would normally allow. It pierced his right hand in the top of his palm, causing him to scream in pain and drop the firearm in his other hand.

He fell to his knees as he held his injured hand in pain. "RRRRRRrrrrrrr!" he growled, holding back a scream. He looked to see Karin standing above him, holding his dagger.

"Stop whining. On aika nukkua."

A swift thud was the last thing he heard before darkness overcame his vision.

* * *

Karin walked up to Kodi laying against the wall, expecting her to be dead but was surprised to find her still alive, but only just. She was breathing but it was heavily labored and that meant she wasn't long for the world. She ripped of the cat's hood from her borrowed jacket then disrobed her top half. She quickly began to use the hood as a makeshift bandage, tying it around her stomach. The act managed to stir the dying cat to awake.

"Mm… gonna… going to die…" she barely managed to say to her healer.

Karin's hands slipped at the sound of her voice but managed to catch herself before she killed her by accident. "No, you're not. I'm not letting you." she said, continuing to tie the cloth. "You're young. You have a life to live."

Kodi weakly raised her hand and put it on Karin's chest. The meowstic felt the light touch and realized the sneasel was on the edge of death with how weak she was. She may have said she wasn't letting her die but short of a miracle, Karin knew she can't do much to save her.

"No… d… gaa…" moaned Kodi once more, her hand slowly slipping from Karin's chest.

"No… live. You're going to live." breathing softly, and growing softer, Karin realized that Kodi was slipping from the mortal plane. "No… she needs something… anything"

She turned to the otter and shouted. "GREGORY!"

Gregory paced over, having made sure the spider left the area- he didn't want the ariados to come back. He wanted to be certain. He never liked spiders.

"What's wrong!? How is she…" he trailed off when he saw the state Kodi was in. He put a finger to her neck and felt a faint pulse. "Oh…"

He pulled out something from his pocket and held it out. Karin looked and saw it was a lum berry.

"Think this will help?"

"For now, but… she's lost so much blood. A single lum berry isn't going to suddenly give more. Once the effects were off, she'll just drop dead."

"We'll get her to a doctor before then is all." he started to peel the berry as Karin made sure the makeshift bandage held. "Better than her being dead."

He held out the berry. Karin sliced a piece with her claws, taking it for the dark-cat to eat, leaving the rest for Gregory to use on her wound. Karin put the piece in the near lifeless sneasel's mouth. It took a moment but eventually heard her swallow the fruit, to her relief.

Gregory applied the berries juices on her wound, letting it heal her wound as best the juice could. Much of the damage the sword did was beginning to heal but he could see that it's was going to require much more than the one berry, as Karin said.

Minutes passed. Silence besides breathing. Then, Kodi took in a few larger breaths then coughed. With a gasp, she sat up straighter but squealed when she did, thanks to her wound.

"Erm… mmm…. wha… what…?" she saw Gregory tending to her wound, "Gr… Gregaa... gory?"

Gregory held Kodi in his arms as she came back to life.

"Kodi, you didn't leave us for den Tod! I'm so sorry I almost got you killed…"

"I'm… f… fine… it's… fine." she whimpered, the pain from her wound coming back as she fully woke up from her nearly eternal catnap. "A-aaa… le-let go… please…"

Gregory let go of her and gently placed her against the wall again. They could see how tired she was, with how heavy her eyes looked every time she opened them. Karin didn't care, she's happy the sneasel didn't die on her.

"You're fine but not fine. Honestly, right now you're on the edge of death. You're lucky Gregory had the mind to bring a lum berry, or we'd be burying you now instead of later."

Kodi eyes widened in shock. Tears started to fall from the corners as she realized how close to death she was.

"A-almost… d-dead?"

Karin wrapped her arm around her and dragged the stunned sneasel up to standing height.

"Close enough that once the berry's effects are gone, you'd probably just drop dead."

Kodi sat speechless, her eyes wide in horror. Karin wasn't having that.

"So, best we hurry." Karin grabbed her by the armpits and began to lift her to her feet, "Come on, we still have something to find."

Kodi let out a whine as she did but didn't complain otherwise. Karin held up a different berry, a sitrus berry, "And eat this. Get yourself some energy."

She eventually got out of the meowstic's grip and hobbled behind the two, nibbling on the berry, as they entered the main bedroom of this floor. She paused as they passed by the doors sitting across from each other.

"W-wait… what happened… to the people in the… other two rooms?"

"I took care of them." said Karin.

Kodi didn't bother to ask any further.

* * *

The bedroom was as lavish as Kodi expected as she hobbled inside, one hand still clasped her firmly over the cloth keeping her wound somewhat sealed. Blood still came out but only a dribble, with most of it having dried up by now with how hot she is.

The bed was of the king variety, adorned with purple drapes to close it off from the world, an appealing beige blanket with gold accenting at the edges to give it the aura of premium quality. Every piece of furniture in the room was clearly hand carved, hours going into every detail in each piece, from the pattern of the grain to the finish of the wood.

The room overwhelmed the injured sneasel.

Kodi leaned against the wall, still tired. "Mien gotter… This… this bedroom is… far more extravagant than… my old Master's bedroom…" she drew in a sharp breath, wincing in pain as she did. "We're… stealing from it."

"Yes and no. From the room but mainly from the Guild." Gregory helpfully pointed out. "Keep an eye out for the artifact please. We'll search in the other rooms first."

The two left her behind, entering the other rooms in the suite. Kodi looked about the room in greater detail, trying to find the artifact that Gregory had enchanted her to steal with him. Knowing it glowed to the least, insured she would find it one way or another but even after a few minutes of hobbling about, checking every piece of furniture with a glance, she found nothing at all.

"I've searched this entire room twice. Where is it? Nothing in this room is glowing in such a fashion he described."

She sat on the bed, making sure her blood wouldn't saturate the covers. She knew it was worth more than she would ever be.

"Is it… really here…?"

"I'm sure of it Kodi."

The sneasel turned, careful not to agitate her injury, to see the buizel walking back in, Karin right behind him.

"It seems you haven't found it either with your latest complaint?"

"Yes, that's… why…" Kodi looked down. "I doubt… they have… it here."

"As I said, I don't think like that! Think optimistic- like that it must be here! Let me go over this room as well!" cried Gregory as raced to a nearby cabinet.

Karin smiled and chuckled softly as she sat down beside the sneasel. "Don't be as optimistic as he is with how injured you are. You're lucky to be alive right."

Kodi lifted the cloth slightly and peered at her injury, as did Karin. They both winced at how bad the cut was, digging deep into the right side of her stomach and managing to show some of her muscle but nothing time couldn't fix- not that either knew.

"That… e-e-explains the pain… when I walk… hehe…" joked Kodi in a feeble attempt to stay positive. Karin eyed her smile slowly turn into a frown as she covered the wound once more.

"Don't worry…" Karin put a hand on Kodi's side, just above her wound. "We'll get you healed. There's a doctor in town- there always is. He'll make you better but I can't promise you'll be doing acrobatics anytime soon on the other hand."

"Heal you, we will. That's a promise from me as well."

The two saw Gregory walk back to them, a box in hand. They could both see there was no glow that the buizel had described the artifact with.

"Before you two speak, yes the glow is… I admit, it's quite… umm…" he looked away, embarrassed. "dimmer then I thought. S-Still, it _does_ glow like brand! I-If it were during the day. Funny, huh?"

"Ich glaube... wirklich nicht, dass... das lustig ist." Kodi mumbled.

Karin also disregarded the otter's joke. "So, barely at all." she examined the wooden box carefully. "That right?"

"Uh… err…" the buizel sighed. "Yes."

"Alright then."

Kodi's curiosity burned as Gregory held the box with an unknown but powerful object close by. She wanted to see what it looked like. The injured cat hopped off the bed and winced. She fought the pain and hobbled over to the two.

"Can I… can I ask what this… orb looks like?" she asked.

Gregory stepped close and opened it to reveal a large orb wrapped in cloth. The bright blue orb shone in the light and gave of a soft warm light of its own as it sat within the box.

"Do you… know which god… it belongs to?"

Gregory closed the box and shook his head, "No, I do not. I'll have to research on which but once I find out…" the buizel looked out a nearby window to the night sky, "I'll put it where it belongs, even if it means leaving Ainapia. Cirkycia, Tiveras, Laica... I'll go as far as I need to."

"How noble of you Gregory." remarked Karin as she stood up from the bed. She made sure the cloak she was wearing did not wrinkle before turning to the two, "How about we leave before our friend here dies?"

"Oh yes, let's!" Gregory exclaimed, excited to finally have the artifact of a god in his hands.

The two cats mustered giggles, in Kodi's case with fits of pain, as they shuffled out of the room and into the hall. Kodi held her breath at the unconscious guild monsters strewn about.

"They're not dead. Just unconscious. They'll be fine in the later morning." the lack of concern in Karin's tone told Kodi she has dealt with this before.

Kodi nodded and looked away from the guards, focusing on the ceiling. As they came upon the stairwell, she has another question for the meowstic.

"Umm… do… do you saying… who are you again? I know your name is Karin but…"

"Well servant." the meowstic snarled, to Kodi's shock. She had been motherly so far. For her to snap at her so suddenly and insult her, made Kodi feel like dirt. "That's of no concern to you. I'm _Karin_. We leave it at that."

Kodi nodded and said no else well beyond after they left the trading house with the liquor and legionnaire artifact in tow, all placed with a cart emblazoned with the St. Mark's Guild official emblem.

* * *

"I ask no questions… though I will say that she is lucky to be alive right now, thanks to the lum berry she ate. If she hadn't, then maybe, from when she had eaten it, two… three minutes? She'd be a corpse."

Kodi pat at the new stitches that held her torn side together and winced at the feeling of such alien dressing on her body- even if it were necessary. She looked to Karin, whose stomach was bandaged up as well. The other cat just shook her head, telling Kodi that she should refrain from touching at such things.

Their healer, an audino in a surgeon's outfit, sat at a desk writing up a report to tally up the charge for the quick fix. Gregory leaned on the desk with a smile on his face.

"Thanks for healing her on such short terms Dr. Albert…" Gregory paused and chuckled for a moment. "and for letting us in at all."

The audino in the chair rolled his eyes and waved the buizel away from him.

"Well, you're lucky I'm a kind man- I'm not one to turn away people clearly in need." he gestured to Kodi sitting in the chair beside him, looking sheepish. Karin huffed and said nothing. He snorted and turned back to his papers, signing it off and handing it to Gregory.

"However, I'm not running a charity. This is for the sneasel. I know you already paid for you mate but you did bring her here as well."

Gregory looked at the sheet and let out a laugh.

" _Only_ nine-thousand schild? You're too kind Doctor Albert."

Kodi let out a gasp, "N-n-nine th-thousand…? That's… that's at least three times what I'm probably worth."

"Now, now, you're worth more than that…" Gregory assured. "And that's not too high a price."

"I should mention it took three sitrus berries to stimulate her enough to get her blood up to something I would call safe." added Albert. He smiled at her. She shivered at the sight. "You'll be awake for some time however and do try to _not_ get into any more fights for a time. Another wake of blood loss will likely kill you.

"How long will it take to be err... normal?" she asked.

"I predict it will be three days until you're fully back to normal levels in that case. You're a lucky one."

"Yes, sir." Kodi answered. She turned to Karin. "About the payment…"

"Yes, yes. Not something we can't afford." Karin noted as she pulled a small coin purse from inside her cloak. "I'll pay this time Gregory."

The cloaked meowstic counted out a handful of coins and placed them on the desk.

"Keep the change. I'll be leaving you now Gregory. I'll be seeing you." she told the doctor before turning and leaving the room. A light slam in distance told them she left the building audino counted the coins and grinned as he placed them in a small storage box on the desk.

"Hmm, well, you and your friend are welcome to my clinic anytime, Meneer Gregory."

"Thank you, Meneer Albert." Gregory put a hand on Kodi's shoulder, "Let's go Kodi. You have somewhere to be."

She nodded and stood up, following the otter out of the small office before stopping and turning to Albert.

"Uh… t… thank you mee… Manair?" her struggle with the word did go unnoticed by the doctor.

"You're welcome." he chuckled, "And it's mah-near. It means, mister."

Kodi nodded and ran out of the room, yelling, "Thank you Meneer doctor!" as she did.

The surgeon waited for the door to shut then pulled out a sheet of paper. He then quietly pulled out another, this one a flier, that read out a notice and a reward for any tips about the location of dark monsters.

"I may have a duty to save lives but a dark-monster is a dark-monster..." he said as he began to write something out.

* * *

She came out of the terraced house to see Gregory standing in front of the cart, tapping his foot impatiently.

"Well, think you've had a good night?"

Kodi put a hand on her hip and put the other on her chin.

"Well let's see… we broke into the trading house, stole liquor, _destroyed_ liquor, knocked out countless guards, fought and won, well… you and Karin really, against those guild-members, almost died, and now I've got a new scar on my stomach." she slowly nodded and looked to Gregory with a smile on her face. "I'll say it was an okay night."

"Glad you had a good time." the buizel gestured to the road out of the town. "The sun will be rising in a short while- you don't want to stay out when it does, do you?"

"No, I don't think so."

Gregory flashed his usual casual expression, with one eye barely open looking down at her in a smug fashion, as he walked to the push handle of the cart.

"Then let's get going."

They were a good distance away from the town's main entrance when Gregory pulled up to a tree at the side of the road and put the down the handle for the cart. He started to stretch, in for a long journey. Kodi decided to ask him a quick question.

"We're here. The spot the two of us met." he stepped to the rear and grabbed a barrel. "Help me please."

Kodi began to help him unload the barrels. "Before we separate, I have to ask… who is Karin and how do you know her?"

Gregory chuckled and shrugged. They quickly unloaded the first barrel.

"That's… huh… something too hard… huh… to explain." they set down the second barrel. "Maybe when we see each other again, I'll see what I can say. She has quite the leash on me."

Not a moment after he finished the sentence, a pebble flew into his head, breaking upon impact. He simply began chuckling once more.

"I see… huh… she's… huh… scary." she said as they carried the last barrel off the cart.

They unloaded the last of the three barrels and stop to catch their breath.

"Well… at first glance but there's a sweet side there. Try to stay on it." He took up the handle for the cart and began to walk down the path. "Goodbye Kodi, and good morning! With how much I travel, we'll see each other one way or another!"

Kodi watched the buizel walk down the path until he entered the thicket of the nearby forest, fading into the midst of tree. She let out a sigh once he did. She took off the old clothes he had given her and walked over to a nearby tree.

"It was nice of him to stash my uniform." she let out a groan when she happened to glance at the barrels he left behind.

"What a painful hour this is going to be, sneaking all this into camp… but it's my life on the line."

She quickly changed clothes, thanking the gods it wasn't daylight just yet. Once finished dressing, she began the arduous process of bringing the liquor into camp unseen. After only a few seconds of trying to lift the first barrel, she dropped the first barrel. She almost landed it on her foot as she did.

"Oh, um Gottes willen! Ich habe es kaum bewegt!"

* * *

Jakob stared at the kegs of liquor that Kodi had somehow acquired. He knew well she had to have gone into town, furthermore, no one saw her leave and no one saw her arrive- only that she woke up from her tent as usual.

"Hmm… so you did as asked. I am parts impressed and parts angered."

He heard the cat gulp nervously. He wanted to punish her, but his own words bit him in the ass- he only threatened punishment if caught and clearly, she hadn't considering she was here and not being hanged by the guildies in town.

However, it doesn't mean he couldn't punish her.

"What did I order when we arrived here in Diermen?"

"Uh… W-well…" Kodi stammered for a moment as she felt all eyes around her fall on her small form. She took a deep breath, holding the side of her chest as she did thanks to her stitching. She started speaking again with some confidence.

"That… no one was to go into town…" she stopped and just before Jakob could speak, she fruitfully added. "And that if the guildies catch anyone, when they return our bodies, you would have their head."

"Yes… that is…" Jakob cursed mentally at the fact he couldn't get around his own, strict words. "correct. Unfortunately, that pike will be headless for now."

Jakob rushed up to Kodi before she could respond to him. The cat gasped as she felt the sword smash the flat end upon her head. She fell back, catching herself on one of the barrels. She reached up and felt the rather large bruise he left her.

"You will still be punished- I _know_ you got that liquor from within the town, even if no one saw you come or go. I assure you mein katze," Jakob let out a laugh and gave her a crazy grin. "that you are not getting off this lightly."

Jakob turned to rest of his company, most of which were trying to keep straight faces but their eyes told him they enjoyed her pain. He then noted a handful clearly held some concern for her, their faces neutral but their eyes shining with concern.

'Even after a war, some are still too lighthearted for their own good.' he thought to himself. Jakob shook his head.

Kodi took his moment of silence to calmly slip into the crowd of soldiers and stand ready with them, awaiting whatever he ordered next- if only because she had little else to do.

"You are all dismissed for now. But stand ready to leave when I get word we can."

His company of soldiers, plus his toy soldier, dispersed amongst the camp to do whatever they felt doing right now. Jakob began to walk to his tent, thinking about punishment and a new, suitable task for the cat. He didn't expect her to get liquor within a day.

"Captain Jakob."

The ambipom turned around to see a mienfoo running up to him, his clothes of rather fine quality though the officer could see his right hand was wrapped in bandages- _bloody_ bandages.

'What happened to him? I remember well that guildies were experts in battle… so odd to see one injured... especially him.' Jakob didn't think much more of it as the mienfoo came to his side and held up his badge for Jakob to see. The monkey snickered and nodded.

"Yes… messenger?"

"Striker. **_Administrator_.** You _**know**_ this. I met you _**yesterday**_." the weasel corrected with a slight snarl. "I have a message from the St. Marks Guild for you."

"Is it one allowing me to leave?" he inquired.

The mienfoo ignored the captain and fished out a handful of beige envelopes from the messenger bag he was wearing. Jakob could see that they all had the same insignia as the badge acting as seals. He carefully took them away from the fighting-monster when he held out to him.

"It's heavy?" he said as he took the envelopes, noting one was much heavier than the others as he held them. "For what reason?"

"That's for you to find out." he snorted. "I want an immediate response, so it's better if you opened the damn letters instead of asking idiotic questions, Captain Jakob Werkutz." the weasel sneered.

Jakob stayed his anger, not wanting to injure a representative of the Guild. He reluctantly opened one of the envelopes by their seal and pulled out the letter inside. He began to quickly skim through it. He then read it again and again in more detail, his expression growing giddier each time he went through, worrying the soldiers that stuck around the area. He let out a laugh.

Klara walked up to him, curious as to what could possibly have needed to be reread carefully over and over.

"What's wrong Captain?" she asked, leaning over his shoulder to take a peek. "Is something funny about the letter?"

"Yes and…" Jakob sighed, "no. It's complicated. But I like it." he turned to Striker. "Your boss is a funny man. I assume he wrote this himself."

"That he is. He's quite…" the mienfoo sighed, as if the next word were the bane of his existence.

"Quite?" Jakob already knew what he was going to say.

"Humorous." growled Striker.

Jakob gave the weasel a curious look. "Did you peek at this one before handing it to me?"

"No, but I've dealt with _many_ of the Guildmaster's letters. I _am_ one of only ten administrators within the Guild. It's a privilege, one of many." he groaned and mumbled. "And the only one I don't want…"

Jakob scoffed as he slid the letter back into the envelope and shook his head. He handed it back to Striker.

"I accept the offer."

Striker pulled out a list and marked an item off the checklist he had written himself.

"Keep the letter," he said, waving a hand to the ambipom. "The Guild, or really, the Guildmaster has a copy already."

Jakob handed the envelope to Klara, "You can read it later. But agreeing is... trust me, I have no reason not to." She nodded as he began to skim another one. His gave the letter a curious look.

"Three _million_ Marks?" he looked to the mienfoo standing before him, a smug grin on his face, "The Guild…?"

"It would be more but circumstance doesn't allow us to compensate more than that. And before you ask, that's what _you_ get. Your little monsters get a lesser pay but a pay they will get."

"Pay?" Klara grabbed Jakob by the shoulder and met him by the eye, "Pay for what exactly?"

"Investigation."

The dewott turned to the weasel standing nearby.

"Investigating what?"

Striker let out sigh. He originally meant for _his_ teams to get this task done but after being humiliated the way they were last night, losing such an important artifact, let alone one your boss entrusted you to deliver… he needed to get it back at any cost.

"As it turns out, a caravan meant to arrive here in Diermen did not make it. The Guild has found evidence that temnyy-," the weasel paused, realizing he was speaking in the wrong language, "I mean, dark-monsters, may be involved. We would search for the ones who did it ourselves but…"

Striker scowled and looked away.

"Something more important came up."

"So, you want us, an entire, war-ready unit, to be your private investigation team?" Klara went up to Jakob, "Are you _really_ okay with that?"

"Think of it more solving a problem for both of us- dark-monsters are likely involved, we know this. Your little unit is just one of many doing what you do right now, killing stray dark-monsters." offered Striker.

Jakob hummed in agreement, "Yes, you are right." he chuckled, "And I can't disagree with such a… _generous_ pay. I accept this offer."

Klara felt that something bad was going to happen with this new job of theirs but kept quiet- she didn't want Jakob angry with her.

Jakob read the next letter, noting this was the one that had something within. He skimmed it then read it in detail. He curiously pulled out what was within the envelope and looked at it with shock.

"Well, that certainly is one way to tell me, you can go anywhere." he said, holding up the St. Mark's badge up to the light, confirming its authenticity.

"Legal terms are used heavily, so no questions asked when you present that even with your little group following around like parent." chimed Striker once more. He let out a single chuckled, "Consider yourself, _re-_ admitted, into the Guild of St. Mark's."

The ambipom promptly dropped the letter to the ground in shock. His men and Klara all ran up to the frozen ambipom captain in concern but he held his hands up to stop them.

"I'm… fine. I wasn't expecting to hear that is all…" he sighed, "It's been so long since I was a member of the Guild."

Striker grinned smugly, "Well, with my authority, you are once more. Consider your termination null and void. Well, as long as you uphold your new… contract."

"Consider it upheld. It is nice meeting you, Admin Striker."

The mienfoo marked the last item on the list and nodded to the ambipom. He left without a word. Jakob snorted at his arrogance and went back to walking to his tent, Klara right behind him.

Once inside his tent, he sat down at his table and pulled the first letter out once more. The stationary atop the letter was one he recognized, having seen it once in the past.

"So, the Guildmaster wrote this one…"

"What's special about his letter and how do you know it's his?"

Jakob laughed for a time before realizing Klara had no clue as to what the joke was. He held it in front of her face and pointed to it.

"I only saw this stationary once and that was when I was first accepted into the St. Mark's Guild."

Klara raised an eyebrow. "Is it that amazing?"

"Well no…" he admitted with a scowl though it faded into a smile, "but the writing is. The Guildmaster is known for his cheery writing as opposed to the dreary paperwork that's usually shuffled around. He personally hand-writes acceptance letters, and considering how hard it is to get accepted, even today, he doesn't write many."

Jakob went over to a specific sack and pulled out a faded letter, but Klara could see the exact same stationary on it.

"Still have mine, in fact."

"So, you really were a guildie…" Klara paused. She realized something important to how her lover acts now with the current information she now knows. "Wait, why do you hate them so much now though, having been one yourself?"

"It's involves how I was kicked out of the Guild."

Klara nodded and opened her mouth to ask but Jakob shot a look at her that told her otherwise. She decided to read the letter on the table, as Jakob promised to let her. Jakob walked up to her and laid a hand on her shoulder, ready to hold her in place. As he predicted, the water-monster tried to jump back in shock but he held her in place.

"Oh götter, bitte sei ein witz..." she slowly turned her head to meet Jakob's hazel eyes. "You said he loves humor, so is this all a joke?"

"No, it's not a joke. Much of it is quite silly but he's serious. And since I said I agree, there's no going back… not that I would when we're speaking about the Guildmaster of the St. Mark's Guild- which I'm now a part of once more. If unofficially."

Klara shook her head and put the letter back on the table. Jakob let her go but she didn't move.

"Hospital?"

"None of your business." Jakob snapped. Klara flinched but kept silent. He continued. "I don't care what he may say or find, I _know_ it was those damned dark-devils. I saw them torching the building and running away, the cowards."

The captain walked over to the cot nearby and sat down on it, his mind all over the place. Klara sat next to him.

"So, since you agreed with the letter, are you going to-"

"That sneasel we have as a toy?" Klara nodded. "She's our _permanent_ toy now. No one harms her but me from now on. Tell everyone. If they don't follow this order, then I'll slice pieces of them off and add whatever I take to my next meal."

Klara nodded and got up, stretching for a moment. She began to walk out but stopped at the entrance. She turned around and looked him straight in the eye.

"Jakob…"

"Hmm?" he turned around, "You haven't left yet?"

"I want to know why you joined the Guild of St. Mark's and…" She swallowed nervously. She knew she was treading on dangerous ground.

"And why you were kicked out as well..."

Jakob didn't get angry. Or sad. She saw no joy on his face, nor pride.

"It's… a story, both parts. Both are better for…" he sighed, "for a future day."

She only saw regret.

* * *

Jakob watched the dewott walk outside with a frown on her face. He didn't care if she wasn't satisfied with his answer. All he cared for right now, was reading the letter he knew was meant for him.

The letter sent him back to his early adulthood- the feeling of getting into such an elite Guild and then to get a letter personally written as this one congratulating him on his acceptance. He had missed this, with years of writing the same military reports to all sorts of officers and generals along with receiving the same dreary letters back from higher up. He always had wondered what was missing in the papers he read all this time. Spirit.

'That old 'mon has plenty of that…' he thought.

He began to read the letter once more, enjoying every second of it.

* * *

{=\\-+-/=}

 **The Guild of the Holy Saint. Mark Kjellsson, of the Creator and Origin of all Arceus and the Guild of the Saintly City of St. Mark,**

 **Official Office of the Guildmaster,**

 **Karl Thorsen, Guildmaster**

 _"It's been a decade since I've last seen you, Jakob the Aipom, or really, is it Ambipom now? If you are an ambipom, I hope you're using those two tails of yours now to please twice as much! It's a joy it is to write to one of my former lieutenants, even if you were thrown out the window and into the fray of the harsh old world. You're wondering,_ _'why is that old crotchety monster writing to me, even though I don't work for him anymore?'_

 _I have a request for you. You don't have to accept it but if you do, then I'd be in your favor- who knows what you can get for one of those! Maybe a whole week's worth of eggs or a lovely basket from yours truly!_

 _This favor of mine is a something that I'm asking of the old Jakob- I know who you are now but I know that past monster is still there. I know you well Jakob, almost like I was your father instead of your father! Then again, I was a father to quite well everyone in the Guild- quite the ladies' 'mon wasn't I?!_

 _Jakob, you were diligent, determined. You finished missions with moral in mind over money, cared for those underneath you. Really, you had quite the heart and I know you used to donate your time to the nearby hospital whenever you could- though I got none of it myself from you, what hospitality were they teaching you!?_

 _On a more serious note… As you know, the current condition of this odd little world, on our odd little continent is in upheaval; what with that Exile going on, kicking out all of Yveltal's little children from their homes. I had no choice but to agree, after a rogue group of dark-monsters burnt down the very hospital you volunteered your time in. You know that incident well- you visited the site days afterwards in your new uniform. Must I say, an officer's coat it fits an diligent young man like you well._

 _Getting to the point, I realized, upon rereading the reports, something was terribly wrong with the entire scenario. I can't tell you what I saw but it made me suspicious. I'll give more details when I gather more than a few footprints and some dust on a shelf!_

 _Back to you… you must be quite angry and… I must ask you to let go for now. Forget about the hospital incident, forget about your termination within the Guild, forget about what may have happened during your time in the military, forget about what may have happened during the Conflict. Why? Because this is what I am asking of you:_

 _I want you to keep one dark-monster alive. Not one-hundred, not fifty, not forty, not one million._

 _Just one._

 _For me. For whoever you were visiting and helping at that hospital. For your family. For yourself. I don't want you going mad from anger- I know you would and probably have in some way; you must be up a couple trees already! I know taking care of just one dark-monster will remind you that they are monsters like the rest of us and not demons as you probably think. How do I know that? I have great intuition in my old age!_

… _or really, that's just what everyone in this blasted city calls them._

 _Back to the point once more: That's all I'm asking of you. I trust you Jakob. You may not trust me or like me, though I know you still love my humor, and you don't even have to go through with this but do so and I'll let you in on my secret, lum berry pie recipe._

 _And maybe an actual secret as well. No promises on that one though!_

 _\- Karl Thorsen, your father many times removed and possibly, your least-favorite Guild-Buddy/Guild-Master_

 **P.S** – _I've been leaving brownies at the memorial in your stead. It's the least I could do. I hope whoever it was, likes hazelnut!'_

* * *

Jakob sighed, having finished re-reading the letter for the fourth time. He stood up and walked over to the bag holding his old items and put the letter in the same jacket the acceptance letter had been. He scowled when he saw the badge that was still clipped to the left breast of the jacket- never having taken it off all these years.

He looked around before took the badge off the jacket and pocketed it in one of the inner pockets of the current jacket, leaving behind the newer badge given to him by Striker. He dusted off his sleeves, straightened his shirt's collar and stepped outside the tent. He gazed upon his soldier's doing their assigned tasks and smiled.

"SPIELEUG KATZE, TO MY TENT _**NOW**_!"

Just because he made a promise doesn't mean he can't have _fun_.

* * *

A ride along the Road Ravenswaay always guaranteed boredom and this one was no exception, thought a young Cubone trader as he watched the large open plains of the Kitherlands roll past. He looked forward to see his fellow traders still at the helm, as they had for the past few hours, tending to the blitzle pulling the carriage.

"Hoe lang tot Diermen?" he shouted to the two in front.

One of them, a smeargle with his tail wrapped up, looked back at him.

"Nog een andere dag? Er is niet veel in de weg van markers op deze weg."

The other helmsman, an illumise, giggled.

"Ben je twee jongens moe van wat het land eruit ziet buiten de steden? Word er aan gewend- het is wat je voor de rest van je leven ziet."

She heard a gasp from beside her and almost fell when the carriage came to a sudden stop. She looked at her smeargle coworker with fury.

"Wat is er mis!?"

He grabbed her by the arm and spun her around. In front of the them lay a wreckage of what may have once been a convoy. The three of them looked around but there was little to see besides rows and rows of grains around them, covering whatever may be there.

The illumise choked when she spotted bodies of monsters laying amongst the grains. She realized that something was very wrong with the sight before them.

"We moeten weglaten... iets deden dit en... het kan nog steeds-" she stopped when she heard the grains nearest them begin to shake. The three realized the danger was nearer than they thought.

The smeargle wasted no time gearing the blitzle to turn around and run. They complied with gusto, bringing them in the other direction.

But only for a few hundred meters.

Before their eyes, a shot rang out and the two blitzle fell, lifeless. A single shot pierced both equine with ease.

When the two blitzle fell, the carriage bucked upwards, causing the three to fall out the back of the now upwards carriage.

The cubone sat up and dusted off his shirt. He looked around and regretted it immediately. He barely contained his stomach as he came upon his smeargle partner, who laid skewered by a piece of wood that had snapped of the carriage.

"Aaahhh…"

He turned around to see the illumise still alive though missing one of her arms. He didn't dare to look for it- petrified by what happened to his... _former_ partner.

"Carla, ben je... ben je oké?" he whispered to her as he moved to her.

The illumise opened her eyes and laid them on him. He watched her move from him to what lay behind him. Horror overcame her and she began to plead with him to run and leave her.

He leaned into her, ripping off a piece of his shirt. He began to dress her wound, though that was more his concern than hers, "Je hebt pijn... Ik zal je niet verlaten."

Carla took a deep breath and blurted, "Keer om!"

The cubone raised an eyebrow but complied. When he did, he immediately put up his hands in defense but it was far too late to stop what was coming. He watched a figure much taller than him plunge a dagger straight into his chest with wide eyes. Carla screamed in terror.

He fell to the ground, letting out a scream of agony, before her eyes. Carla could only cry as the assailant stepped over her with a sack in hand, the ground under the cubone begin to run red with his blood.

The last thing the cubone saw was the pure blue sky as his world faded to black- the feeling of cold overtaking him. He heard one last thing before slipping from the world.

"Nee! Wacht, alstublieft! NEE!"

" _Quit squirming, you damn bug_!"

By the time the boer who tended these fields came to the source of the screams, all he found was the wreckage of two trade caravans and the bodies of dead traders strewn about the area, most having died from stab wounds.

He didn't even know there had been an illumise when he gave a report to a local guard outpost and the guards didn't bother to check if every body they found and accounted for was everyone that had traveled in the two convoys.

No one knew until two weeks later, when her family realized she was not among the dead. Only then did they realize that this incident may be more than just a simple bandit attack.

* * *

 **End Chapter 6**

* * *

 **Linguistic Library**

 **- _Kitch_ -**

Meneer – Mister  
brand – fire  
duivel – devil  
goede morgen – good morning  
keer om – turn around  
de Vege – the Victory, a nickname for Victini, God of Victory

 _ **:Dialogue:**_

 _Hoe lang tot Diermen? – How long until Diermen?  
_ _Nog een andere dag? Er is niet veel in de weg van markers op deze weg. - Another day? There is not much in the way of markers on this road.  
_ _Ben je twee jongens moe van wat het land eruit ziet buiten de steden? Word er aan gewend- het is wat je voor de rest van je leven ziet. - Are you two boys tired of what the country looks like outside the cities? Get used to it- it's what you see for the rest of your life.  
_ _Wat is er mis!? - What's wrong!?  
_ _We moeten weglaten... iets deden dit en... het kan nog steeds hier zijn... – We have to leave... something did this and... it can still be here...  
_ _Carla, ben je... ben je oké? – Carla, are you… are you okay?  
_ _Je hebt pijn ... Ik zal je niet verlaten. – You're in pain… I will not leave you.  
_ _Nee! Wacht, alstublieft! NEE! - No! Wait, please! NO!_

- **Ruarktsche** -

Mien gotter – My gods  
Spielzeug - Toy

 _ **:Dialogue:**_

 _Ich glaube wirklich nicht, dass das lustig ist. –|- I really do not think that's funny.  
Oh, um Gottes willen! Ich habe es kaum bewegt! -|- Oh, for God's sake! I have hardly moved it!  
Oh Götter, bitte sei ein Witz. -|- Oh gods, please be a joke._

 _-_ _ **?**_ _-_

 _Din bastard! Hur vågar du!_ _\- You bastard!_ _How dare you!  
_

 _On aika nukkua. - It's time to sleep._

 _Yeshche odin proklyatyy kot!? – Another damn cat!?  
_ _Ty stanesh' moim novym plashchom. Kot. - You are going to be my new cloak. Cat.  
_ _es una mujer asustada... - she's a scared one...  
_ _Hola – Hello  
_ _Está bien como sea – Okay, whatever._


	7. Eerste Dag: Lunen

_Chapter 7_

* * *

 _"North. That's where they must go. Why north? It's simple._

 _There's nothing there for the dark-monsters- no food, no people, no safety._ _No society._

 _That is their punishment."_

 _\- Guildmaster Naomi LaCruce of Guild de St. Genévrier, c. 1499_

* * *

 _Eerste Dag: Lunen_

* * *

Niklas lead his band of sneasel, one short of what it had been only a scant few hours ago, into the town of Lunen. After a short break camping outside the main gate, they awoke mid-morning. The town was bursting with life, with monster-kind of all walks and types walking around the small town, going about their business. There was an incredible amount of dark-monsters around, though it was obvious none of them planned to stay, as did Niklas and his motley group. Raisa took in the town as they crested a rise on the southern flank, granting a better view of the central area of the town.

"Stad van Lunen…" whispered Raisa.

"Northern most town in the Kitherlands and border to the wastes. Our grand new home for the rest of our lives." Luuk helpfully added.

The other adults gave him angry looks. He shrugged in response.

"Like I'm lying. You know I don't lie."

Niklas ignored his fellow's rambling and continued to walk deeper into town. He had a few goals for their short time in town and number one was getting Grijs' leg mended. He turned around to see the group split apart, with Luuk heading to a different area of the market to browse, Raisa to look for food and medical supplies, and Grijs, now left to tend to the children. The sight made Niklas laugh.

Passing the market, he made his way around, asking around in there was a doctor in the town. Passing a stall selling various sweets and cadies, a toxicroak guard stopped him in his tracks. The guard pulled out a spear from behind him and lazily pointed it at him.

"Halt, in the name of the crown..."

Who Niklas noted, sounded like he's said this line one too many times the past month. The sneasel stopped and faced the guard, who's uniform was rather ill-fitting and expression as pleased as the murky waters of the town dump.

"We were just..."

"Passing through?" the guard let out in long croak of irritation, "Yeah, yeah. I hear it from all of you. Let me take a guess, either you're looking for the town's church or the town's doctor. For the first, we don't have one so pray in a tent. Secondly…"

The guard pointed at one of the housing across the market square, resembling a duosion. The sneasel thought it looked jarring amidst the typical housing around it.

"That's where the town doctor is located…" the guard let out another croak, "Is that correct?"

Niklas gave him a firm nod, "Yes, thank you."

He walked away to look for the members of his group. The guard leaned on his spear and croaked.

"Why do I deal with this? Why did the king assign only five of us to this town…?"

* * *

Niklas found Luuk staring lovingly at an allotment of weaponry sitting on top of one of the many stalls in the square. He could see everything from measly daggers to top of the line rifles sitting on the table.

"Heh. I bet Grijs would love this one."

Niklas stepped over to Luuk as he pointed out a rifle with a glass sight on it.

"A Daalen 94 Addicks. Same as the one she used."

The merchant, a rather small volbeat, on the other side of the table was watching the pair closely as Luuk and Niklas scanned the rifle in all its detail. He moved closer to the two and flashed the revolver in his holster to them.

"You two... I hope to den Leben you two decide not to be dumb fools and try to steal it."

Luuk gave the merchant a laugh and a calm smile, even as the merchant aimed the revolver at his head. Niklas held some concern but Luuk waved him back.

"I know well that you wouldn't just murder two potential customers." he gestured to the rifle, "And to say nothing more, this rifle is something the two of us remember well… I'm guessing it's surplus from the Conflict. Am I right?"

The merchant nodded, "Yes, it is. Bought it in a bulk of fifty. Sold twenty so far. Daalen rifles are known for quality, minding the level of polish found in them as well."

The merchant holstered the revolver and picked up the rifle, showing it in even greater detail now that they can see its underside.

"As you can see, it's the same rifle used by the Duchy of Luhnstedt and its allies in the Conflict, as you said." he said, acknowledging Luuk's observation.

"No mistaking it." commented Niklas with a laugh.

The volbeat nodded and pointed at Luuk, or really, the rifle on his back, "It's a far better rifle than the S.K.N Model 1467 on your back. Easier to use as well, what with being able to load eight bullets compared to the five for the Model 1467."

"You're trying to sell us something we've both used for at least five years. There's no need." said Niklas.

The statement stunned the merchant. He had considered them to be no more than the usual dark-monster that passed through and bought whatever they could. They didn't care for the nuances of the rifle- only that it's round was powerful enough to take down aggron if shot in the right place. These two were well acquainted with the rifle and likely knew it's actual worth.

And that's why, when Niklas asked how much they were, he decided against marking up the price on them.

"This one in particular, thanks to the sight, is four-hundred Schild. A regular one is only two-hundred and fifty Schild. And if you want munitie, it's fifty for a box of one-hundred 10 millimeter Addicks."

"Fifty? I'm plenty sure it's rather cheap to produce 10 millimeter munitie, especially Addicks. And after war, with such a heavy surplus…"

Niklas didn't even finish when the volbeat in front of him laughed.

"Yes, yes. I know but it is hard to acquire munitie far up north, like here in Lunen. We're as far as we could be in the Kitherlands from Ruarktschland. Imagine the prices in kingdoms farther north like Rukilin, Alinord, and Matzovin! This is as low as I can go for you!"

Niklas looked at Luuk. They nodded to each other and then looked back to the merchant.

"Mark down two Addicks for us and three boxes of munitie as well." said Niklas.

The merchant clasped his hands together and beamed.

"Gladly!"

He rushed around, as best as his short legs could, his coat making it impossible to fly. As he gathered together the necessary items for the pair, Luuk peered up at the rifle peaking over his shoulder. He looked to Niklas.

"Buy more munitie for it. It may be weaker than the Addicks but it's still a rifle worth its salt- Raisa will never stop talking about it when she can.

Luuk snorted.

"I think she has a different concern these days… Sir, how much would a box of 8 millimeter Cobel rounds go for? I'd like a single box."

"That would be… Hargh…!" he set down the crate of Addicks ammo down and pulled out three smaller boxes in succession, "It would be twenty Schild per box. Weaker caliber, even _more_ supply…"

Luuk smiled.

"I'll take two then."

* * *

The pair of veteran soldiers meet back up with Raisa, who had a new backpack filled with medical supplies while Grijs had a new pack filled with food. The children were busy playing with the local children in the designated area of the square.

"I see you two are prepared."

Raisa's observation was rather astute: Niklas was carrying the boxes containing the two rifles while Luuk was struggling to carrying the boxes of ammunition. Although small, together, they were heavy. Niklas grinned as he put down the boxes and opened one.

"Well, we have to be. Don't know what's out there and I thought what better than using something all of us know how to shoot?"

He pulled out the surplus Addicks rifle and presented it to the pair. Grijs' eyes widened, seeing her old charge once more, free for her to use.

"Is… is that for me?"

"One for you, and one to replace Luuk's rifle. Raisa, you'll get Luuk's current rifle. He'll do better with one of these- we both used it for four years. Maintaining them will be easier for us."

Raisa watched Luuk slip off the S.K.N rifle from his back and hand it to the her. She took it from his hand and observed the long firearm carefully. Satisfied with what she found, she slipped it over her shoulder and moved it to her back.

"An honor… never had a rifle assigned to me but I'll get used to it."

"Well, get used to it…" Niklas glanced around the square and when his eyes rested on the duosion shaped building, he remembered something important.

"Oh yes, see that duosion looking building Raisa?"

Raisa looked over the square until she spotted the building. She did a double take when she did and grimaced when she realized it actually existed.

"Oh yes, that ugly looking one."

Niklas held back a chuckle, "That's where the town doctor is located."

"Is it…?" she said, unimpressed, "Well, then let's go Grijs."

Raisa began to walk over to the building, helping Grijs along. Niklas and Luuk watched as the four child sneasel followed the pair into the building.

"Think we'll survive longer than a year? If we do, then we'll have a chance at making a new, dark society for ourselves." said Luuk.

Niklas rubbed his chin thoughtfully. He let out a quiet sigh and looked to a nearby market stall, which had a lone purrloin as its patron.

"I've said this too much by this point but… I hope we do."

* * *

Raisa helped Grijs into the one of the seats within the office. The four child sneasel followed behind and sat in chairs that available. The office itself was empty despite the time of day and the only employee they could see was a exhausted looking nidorina sitting behind a rich mahogany desk stacked with a measurable amount of papers on top, surrounding the poison-type tauntingly. Next to her desk was the door to the examination rooms, from what Raisa could tell. The only other door, besides it and the entrance, was one to a bathroom from the sign on the door.

Raisa walked up and tapped on the desk to get the poison-monster's attention. She looked up, the bags under her eyes weighing them down enough that she barely saw the face of monster in front of her.

"Aaa…" she yawned, "Doctor… Maarten… is out… all week… only his assistant… is here…."

Raisa raised an eyebrow. She looked around and listened carefully. She heard no noise other than the snores of the beleaguered secretary in front of her. The cat moved to the door going farther into the clinic and opened it. She looked back to the others and held up her hand.

"Don't follow."

They heeded her order without question, to Grijs' shock. Raisa didn't get to see this as she stepped into the dark hallway on the other side and gently closed the door. Observing the layout, there were only four examination rooms, an office at the end from a sign posted on the door, and a closet. Choosing to use her instinct, she closed her eyes and focused her hearing.

"Ahaaa…. hu… hu…"

She heard the distinct sounds of snoring coming from the closet down the hall. Quietly, she made her way over. Every step she made was carefully placed and light as possible so as to not alert whoever laid in the closet. Once there, she grasped the handle tightly and opened the door. She peered into the closet to see a sableye dressed in fine clothes, a bronze cross lapel on his right breast, and a headband bearing the same symbol in bronze coloring. She reached down and shook his exposed shoulder.

"Eh… wha….?" he slowly turned his head to look at her and jumped back at the sight of the sneasel in front of him. "Oh good gods, who are you!?"

Raisa raised her hands up to show her peaceful intentions. The sableye stood up and raised his fist, ready to fight.

"Keep calm, I'm not here to hurt you or anything."

Her words got him to lower his guard but he was still wary of, to him, the mystery dark-monster in front of him. Raisa let out a relaxed laugh and smiled.

"There's no need to be nervous. I'm just looking for help for my friend."

The sableye blinked twice then sighed. He reached up and adjusted his headband, making sure it was upright. He then adjusted his coat and stepped past her into the hall. Walking to the waiting room, he lit an oil lamp in the middle of the hall and lit it with light once more. Raisa followed closely behind once he began walking again.

"Well, I'm the one to see right now. Doctor Maarten is unavailable- called south to Luhtjen for some sort of emergency. If you need anything that involves surgery, don't expect it."

"Well… that's not good."

The sableye stopped before the door and turned around. He gave her a curious look, one that made Raisa rub her hands anxiously.

"What happened to your friend?" he demanded.

"She… got shot in the knee."

The sableye slowly shook his head before chuckling and looking back to the door. He put his hand on it and sighed once he finished chuckling.

"I… can't help then. I'm sorry… your friend will have to do without…"

Raisa watched him walk past her, possibly to go back to sleep. She grabbed him by the arm and looked the imp straight in the eyes. He tried to speak but found no courage staring down the fierce cat eyes of a sneasel.

"If you can't help then what kind of physician are you?" she asked.

"One who is only an apprentice! Do you expect me to conduct surgery without direction!?"

His words hit Raisa and pulled out memories of her youth, days spent on end training under her beloved father. She narrowed her eyes and spoke.

"I'll help you then."

She pulled a lapel similar to the one on his coat but in gold instead of bronze.

"You're… you're an actual surgeon? Cer-certified by a-"

"A Duke? Yes. My profession was in high demand during the Conflict, what with all the injury and death."

The sableye swallowed a nervous gulp unintentionally. He slowly put his hand on her arm and pulled it off.

"F-fine… I'll let you-"

"No."

The sableye recoiled. He hadn't expected her to _refuse_ the offer of using the room herself. She was a practiced surgeon, why wouldn't she take it?

"An apprentice needs practice and hard guidance. _You_ operate. I'll guide you."

The sableye contemplated the offer then realized it was less and offer and more an order from a superior- not that she wasn't in this case. He nodded and looked to one of the doors nearby.

"Bring your friend to the first room on the right… I'll get it set up for y-us."

"Thank you."

Raisa opened the door to the waiting room and slowly closed it. The sableye could hear talking from beyond but dared not interfere with whatever they are conversing about- that was rude. Instead, he walked into the examination room and turned an oil lamp on to give the room much needed light. He took a deep breath and shook his head as began to rearrange the room as needed for an operation.

He pulled out the table for examination to the center of the room and locked the lowered pieces up to form a longer table necessary for surgeries. He pushed a small, movable tray table over and set down a pallet of various knives, scalpels, and prongs. Next was the salve needed to numb the pain- unless her friend was machoistic, this was needed or the pain would be unbearable from what his master told him. Finally, he set a disposable bedsheet on the table and set another down to lay upon Grijs to cover her body, more courtesy than need- no civilized monster wants to lay on some table with their parts exposed, even if there were only two people to see and one of them was a close friend.

He finished laying out the lower sheet when he heard a knock on the door.

"Come in!" he announced.

He watched the door open and Raisa walk in with another sneasel, this one hobbling with a rather rudimentary splint on her right leg. He could see the pain on her face with every step she took and hurried over to her. The two together helped her onto the table.

"Stay still please." he ordered as he grabbed a pillow from a cabinet and laid her foot on it to raise it higher for the operation, "And I have to ask but… can you take off your clothes? You can keep on your shirt but your jacket and pants have to go."

Grijs gave him an angry stare. Raisa flicked her in the forehead in response. The sniper let out a soft groan and started to undo her jacket. Raisa did off the belt on her pants and pulled it off as smoothly as possible without agitating her injury. The sneasel on the table let out a soft hiss when they got caught on the splint for a moment, aggravating the fractured knee.

"Please… be gentle…" she ground through her teeth.

"Sorry Grijs…"

The apology was not unnoticed by the sableye, who was working to mix up the salve as best he could with his limited knowledge.

"That reminds me, I never caught your name."

Raisa gave him a snicker and looked back at him.

"I am Raisa van Coulding. Some call me Raisa the Cold but I prefer you just use my first name. I don't know about my friend's actual name but we all know her as Grijs." Raisa gave her friend a teasing look, "And before you say it and make her mad; yes, it is a color and it is an odd name for a sneasel to use. But she refuses to tell us her name, so... grijs it was."

Grijs growled then hissed.

"Keep it up. I'll make sure your leg is broken next."

"Like you want to make Niklas mad."

The sableye assistant held back his laughter and put down the salve on the table next to the pallet of tools.

"Well, my name is Alexander van Oirschot. Alex is just fine." he rinsed his hands and once he dried them off, he took a deep breath and smiled weakly to the pair of cats.

"Well… let's get started."

* * *

The pair quickly went to work. Alex applied the salve, letting it sit for a few minutes before Raisa made an incision on the brown sneasel's knee.

"Ready?" Raisa asked Alex.

The sableye nodded, grabbing up a pair of prongs.

Thanks to the mixture of stun and sleep spores, the salve helped Grijs feel none of what was happening but she can _see_ what was happening. And what she could see put her on wits end more than any battle or enemy encounter could every have done in the past.

"Ehh…" she squeaked, watching the sableye maneuvering the small prongs in the incision Raisa had made, "…would it be a problem to say hurry?"

"Yes." the two answered, more focused on their work than her words.

The sableye breathed heavily through his mask as he carefully maneuvered the prongs into the incision.

"Surgeon Raisa… t-there's so little space…" he said worriedly.

"Take it slow. Focus on the goal instead of trying to actively avoid touching something. You'll get there."

Grijs just closed her eyes and laid back but couldn't keep them shut. Curiosity burned and she sat back up once more. The move jostled the table, enough to Alex freeze up and Grijs hissed in pain. Raisa pushed her back down with a forceful hand and kept her there when she tried to move.

"Don't move. Unless you like the feeling your broken leg… the salve only works on the incision, not your bones."

"F-fine…"

"And if I let go and you move again, I'm tying you down."

Grijs scoffed and closed her eyes, trying instead to go to sleep. While the salve numbed the pain, it also tired her out minute by minute thanks to the sleep spore in the mix. The brown furred cat was asleep shortly after.

"She's asleep." observed Alex.

Raisa smiled.

"Means she can't interrupt now. Should've done that first honestly but I like to sometimes see her squirm."

The sableye winced, "That's cold."

"I am a sneasel." Raisa muttered.

For the next five minutes, Alex worked his way to the bullet while rearranging pieces of bone carefully and managing her torn muscles. With guidance from Raisa, the task was easier than he thought. Mistakes were made countless times but nothing that couldn't be fixed and none that could kill.

At the sixth minute, the imp finally got a hold of the bullet and gently pulled it out. A tense minute passed before the two got sight of the deformed lead. The sableye placed the piece of lead in a small cloth on the side table. Once there, he let out the breath he had been holding the entire time.

"Did it…" he said as a smile slowly formed before chuckling, "Oh gods, I can't believe I've done it…" he turned to Raisa and thanked her for the help.

"We're not done. We have to make sure her muscles are settled in place and healing fine as well as fixing the fractured knee. And after that, we have to set a cast or else the bone ends will never heal. Not with how she acts."

The sableye gulped and looked back to the incision. He could see the exposed muscles, a hole visible for them to see thanks to the bullet that entered her knee.

"Alright then… how do I check her muscles are fine?"

Raisa walked over to Alex's side and pointed down at the knee, or really, the open cut area.

"See the exposed muscles and the injury to them- the hole?" Alex nodded, "Pay attention to the muscle around the injury. Normally, it's red due to the blood but muscle is really gray in color."

Alex looked in and saw the muscle around the hole was neither gray nor bright red but a dull shade of red.

"Well, it _is_ red but… not as bright."

"That's because it's healing. Slowly thanks to her walking on such a bad injury but in this case, it does mean we do not have to tend to it. We can leave it be."

"Wow, you know so much." complimented Alex.

Raisa smirked, covering a chuckle as it escaped.

"Well, I have years of knowledge, including a war. You learn over time… ever dissected a corpse before?"

Alex grimaced, "Just… one…"

"Ah, okay. Let's not talk about then. How about getting to the next part- repairing the bone. The patella, or kneecap… you know of it, correct?"

Alex nodded and pointed right at the knee, in a spot just next to the joint.

"Yes, it's right here. A recent discovery, right?"

"Well yes, it is." she said in surprise, impressed by how knowledgeable he actually was, "It's likely to be the bone that fractured, considering she was shot in the kneecap. Thankfully, the person who did, had done it from afar or else this would be an amputation instead of surgery. All that must be done is make sure the bone is placed corrected then add a cast."

Alex got right to it and observed the area where the bone lay as best her could through the incision. When they finally see it, they both agree that the bone pieces only needed a minor adjustment before they're finished. Once done, Alex pulls the prongs out and gently lays it on the tray table. He turned to Raisa, who was rinsing her hands once more.

"Thank you for the help."

Raisa turned to him with the bowl of water and a piece of lye in hand. He took both and cleaned his hands too.

"No need. I'm always glad to lend a hand where needed. Just let me sew the incision up. I have more experience with this."

"That was an excellent operation. You do good work."

Raisa put a hand on Grijs's leg. The incision, if it could've been seen, was cleanly sewn up by the older sneasel. Grijs pat at the cast the pair had applied to her leg- one that only reached over above and below the knee. Alex laughed as he put away extra rolls of plaster.

"Well, a medical officer of your caliber could've done it all on your own. All I did was…"

Raisa held up a claw, "No, you lead the operation. _You_ did it. Don't defer to me even if I'm the one with experience. Everyone starts somewhere- you started here."

Alex stood there awkwardly. He had no clue what to say and settled on something simple.

"Well I… err… dank je."

Raisa smiled. "Your welcome."

"So… how long will I have this on?"

The pair turned back to the brown sneasel on the table. She had woken up and was now sitting up and feeling at her cast. She looked back up to them when she noticed they were staring.

"Well…?"

"Three weeks. That's with a diet including oran berries. Five weeks without." said Raisa, almost reflexively.

Grijs grimaced as she looked down at the cast. She shook her head and began to slide herself of the table, careful not to go too fast. Slowly, she put her right leg over the edge, then her left leg. She stared at the ground with an uncertain gaze, which the two caught easily.

"Can… can you two help me down?"

"Sure." Alex said, walking up to her. Raisa assumed he either didn't care about her mood with this or did but decided to play with her. Whatever the case, he grabbed hold of her shoulder and slowly let her down to the floor. The brown sneasel took a few test steps around, getting the feel for her new condition.

"It's… better than walking with that splint. Not too much pain but…" limping her way around the room, she tried to judge the fastest she could walk without bending her knee. "It's hard to walk quickly."

"Good thing we made it to Lunen, huh?" said Raisa.

"Yeah, yeah. Whatever."

Grijs sighed and slowly made her way out, slamming the door as she did. Alex stood with a stunned look on his face. Raisa began laughing, adding to his shock.

"Uhh… you're… not concerned about her attitude?"

"She's always trouble… odd really. I've known her since the war and she was like this when they first meet her. I can only imagine her childhood." revealed Raisa.

"How do you put up with it?" inquired Alex as he went to a counter and began writing something out.

"Not easily. If we could've left her behind, we would've but…" Raisa rolled her eyes. She had to admite, Grijs had skill- a skill in killing. "She's our best hunter and our best shot. She was a scout during the war if you were curious."

"Fascinating. Are all scouts like that?"

"They tend to be loners, which is why they're scouts."

Her answer satisfied the sableye and he turned back around to deal with the paperwork. A question formed in Raisa's head as she watched him write away in front of her. It had been burning since she meet him and now that they had time, she found reason to ask.

"Alexander… can I ask why are you still in Lunen? Aren't you afraid?"

"Hmm…?"

The sableye turned around and stared at her. She could see something behind those gems- not malicious as myths go but more of observation, like he was trying to find something- something to say.

"Well… yes… I am. But I have a duty, and as long as I do, I will carry it out." he finally answered.

"And what is it?"

"I promised a family member I will stay with him and travel north together. I refuse to leave until then. If he never does… then the Guilds will have to execute me. Lunen is my home- I would never leave otherwise."

Raisa took in the imp's words. She let out a sigh and walked to his side.

"Noble but… foolish, don't you think. I mean, how long have you waited so far?"

"The… the past month. In Kalins… the last day of Kalins, is when we last spoke, when I got his letter that he was coming."

"Where did he live?"

"In…" he gulped audibly. Raisa could hear the worry in his voice, "In the capital. He lived in capital."

"Kronenberg? That's two weeks of travel by foot…" she stopped when she realized something, "…he should be here by now."

"I know."

With those words, he jotted the last of what he needed on the paper he was writing. He folded it and then tore it in half, handing Raisa one half of it.

"Your receipt. Good day." his voice wavered ever so slightly. Enough for her to know she steered the conversation too far, too long.

"Good day…"

She watched the sableye walk out the door, not bothering to hear the rest of her sentence, gently closing it once in the hall. Though he may have thought she would not hear it, she did.

The sounds of sobbing.

* * *

Niklas stared at the bill Raisa had given him. He had asked for it when they came back, to make sure they would have enough money afterwards for more supplies if they ever came back. To his shock, the price of payment was far lower than he had expected.

"That's not a lot to pay. Why is that?"

"I helped the one doing the treatment. Naturally, he had to reimburse me for my work and so, all he charged me was for materials."

Her answer satisfied the older sneasel. He folded the paper and slid it into his inner pocket.

"For now, get some rest Raisa. Tomorrow, we leave north." he walked over to one of the tents and slipped inside, leaving Raisa to herself.

She followed behind and opened the flap to see Niklas tucking in his daughter. He turned to see his intruder to see Raisa looking at her feet. When he hummed curiously, she looked up at him.

"Can we stay one more day? I… I want to do something."

Niklas raised an eyebrow. He knew it was an odd request buy he had no reason to grant it- they were in Lunen and could stay as long as the Guild's did not send any teams to enforce the law.

"Alright… I can allow it but… can I ask what it is you want to do?"

Niklas watched the medic slowly reach up to her feather and gently touch it. He watched her tug three times and slowly put her hand down. An odd thing for her to do but not one he hasn't seen before- she only did it when she felt grief and not for herself.

"I want to help someone."

Niklas nodded. And walked up to her and lightly hugged.

"Tun Sie, was Sie wollen Vetter, haben Sie meine Erlaubnis."

The pair let go and gave each other small nods.

"Danke Niklas…" she answered back. "Good night."

"Good night." he watched her silently enter the tent. He walked over to his and looked over the area. He spotted a small tree in the distance, with a small mound of dirt under it and a marker. "Good night... Damien."

* * *

 **End Chapter 7**

* * *

 _ **-**_ _ **Linguistic Library**_ _ **-**_

 _ **Kitch (Dutch)**_

 _Stad van Lunen – Town of Lunen  
Je weet dat ik niet lieg - You know I don't lie  
Halt, in de naam van de kroon – Halt, in the name of the crown  
We waren gewoon… – We were just…  
_ _Voorbijgaan? – Passing through?  
Dank je – Thank you  
Ben ik correct? – Is that correct?  
domme dwazen – dumb fools  
Schild – Shield, the currency of the Kitherlands  
munitie – ammunition  
Oh goede goden, wie ben jij!? – Oh good gods, who are you!?  
_ _Blijf kalm, ik ben hier niet om je of iets te pijn doen. – Keep calm, I'm not here to hurt you or anything.  
Kom binnen. – Come in.  
Chirurg – Surgeon  
Oh goden, ik kan niet geloven dat ik het gedaan heb… - Oh gods, I can't believe I've done it…  
_ _Graag gedaan – Your welcome  
Kalins – the 9_ _th_ _month of the year, equivalent of September  
Tun Sie, was Sie wollen Vetter, haben Sie meine Erlaubnis. – Do what you want cousin, you have my permission_


End file.
